


Of Swords, Spells, and Karma

by soer



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-07-08
Updated: 2013-08-10
Packaged: 2018-01-04 22:46:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 71,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1086552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soer/pseuds/soer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanda is a Prince who is indefinitely hard to please. Lavi is the Spellmaster's grandson; intellectual and studying to be a wizard. Eventually tiring of his parents' nagging, Kanda leaves his home and Lavi tags along for the ride. What will happen next?</p><p>Originally posted on FFN, now being cross-posted onto Ao3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning and One's Introductions

**Disclaimer: DGM © Katsura Hoshino**

**-**

"Usagi."

The red-head did not look up from his work as the blue-haired man strode into his workshop.

"What is it Yuu-chan?" he asked pleasantly as he carefully poured the contents of a bright green vial into a test tube.

"Che. Don't call me that." The man took up residence on the couch beside the wooden door with his legs crossed, leaning back, and bored expression on his face. "And I want you to get rid of them."

"Who?" The red-head feigned innocence in his voice but a smile crept onto his face.

Behind him, the man snorted. "You know  _exactly_ who I mean."

"Ah. Well, I'm afraid I can't. I'm not allowed to."

"So? I'm the prince."

"Yes, and your father's the king. Example of a higher ranking, Yuu."

The man made a face. "So? I don't care. And he knows I don't want them around, yet he insists."

The other shrugged. "Like you said. You're the prince, heir to the throne. When the time comes you'll need an heir."

His scowl deepened. "I'll pick when the time comes."

They sat in a silence before he spoke again. "Oi. What are you working on now?"

"Meiser's Potion. But the contents are secret~" there was humor in the red-head's voice.

The prince strode to stand beside him, peering at the book on the counter. He scanned the contents of the page with dark-blue eyes. "Che," he scoffed. The spell-books were always confusing when they talked about potions and their ingredients. How would one ever find the eye of a black-tongued water-breathing python these days? He was pretty certain it wasn't selling in the markets, whether in jars or alive.

Some pounding footsteps could be heard and the prince retreated from the red-head to turn to the door just as several soldiers clad in gray armor appeared. "Prince Yu!"

Kanda scowled at them. "What? And haven't I told you to address me as Prince Kanda?" He disliked the usage of his first name and strictly discouraged it. In his eyes, there wasn't a problem. The royal last name was Falaron. His father was King Falaron, and his mother was Queen Falaron. He was Prince Yu Kanda Falaron, and since he was the current heir, all the soldiers had started to address him with either his first or royal last. But he honestly just preferred his middle name. Even his three other siblings were called by their first or middle name with their title. It shouldn't have been any problem at all.

The soldier at the front raised his arm in salute to him. "Your father the King requests your presence in the throne room right away, sir."

Kanda's eyes narrowed. "What does he want this time?" He clucked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine. I'll go in minute. Leave me."

The soldiers bowed and exited the room, leaving Kanda with the only other occupant of the room. Said occupant had been steadfastly doing his work, unfazed by the interruption.

" . . . "

The red-head chuckled. "You'd better get going now, Yuu."

"Che. I know." Kanda emitted another scowl, but he made no motion to leave.

"What do you want?"

"Something to repel them."

"Geez—you say that like they're insects."

"That's what they are. An annoyance to me."

"Well, I'll look into it." The red-head said reassuringly.

"Hmph. You'd better, Lavi." Kanda strode out of the room without another room.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda walked into the throne room, wondering what his father could possibly want and hoping at the same time it wouldn't be another order to choose a princess to marry.

"So you've arrived, my son."

"Yes. What have you summoned me for, father?" The prince said politely before the king.

"We'll, your mother and I," the king gestured beside him, motioning the queen. "Have decided that you should really think about your future wife. We have already given you many opportunities and choices, yet you still ignore them like one does to an annoyance."

"That's what they are. I don't have any intention of marrying anytime soon. Why can't you just let me be? I'm pretty sure that I don't need a queen to rule!"

The king clicked his tongue. "It's necessary. Anyhow, the Princess Ida of Palauhikila is coming to stay in four days. There will be a ball held in her honor upon her arrival. During her stay, you will be expected to be her escort and such."

Prince Kanda grimaced. A princess coming in four days and a ball held in her honor was a big deal, especially since she was of that rich island country that didn't even seem like an island. He had noticed the extra furnishings and other things but had dismissed them because they weren't important enough for him to think about at the time. Now, he knew why his parents had chosen not to tell him earlier.

"How long will she be staying?"

"That is not yet confirmed, but it is no matter. We expect it shall be but a week or two."

"How long have you planned this?" Kanda asked.

"We've only received the news two days ago." The king said.

"May I go?" Kanda asked and his father nods.

"Yes. If there is anything else, I'll let you know."

Kanda turned and stalked out of the room.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi hummed to himself while he worked. As much as he loved to tease Kanda, he really was serious about his profession, and thus why he hadn't been very Lavi-like when Kanda had come in earlier.

But the red-head knew there were plenty more opportunities to bother Kanda; especially with that upcoming ball His Majesty was planning to have.

He chuckled to himself. By now, Kanda most likely knew of the ball and was in a rage. And he was almost done with his work . . .

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda was on the training grounds of the palace with his sword. His opponent was the Master Swordsmith, Master Zhu Mei Chan. After he had worked off his anger through rhythmic drills, Kanda had the fortune of running into Zhu, and began a light battle.

Though he was old, the man was skilled, and had in fact forged the legendary Mugen, Sword of Illusions. Once, Kanda had been lent Mugen after Zhu's yearly check up with it to make sure it was in a good condition. Of course, this was just an excuse for Zhu to see the sword he created in the fresh air of freedom. Mugen was not a sword meant for display—it was a sword meant for use.

King Falaron had wielded Mugen for a while, but Zhu could tell that the sword was not for him. To refrain the king from using Mugen, Zhu created another sword for the King, one that fit him perfectly. Thus Mugen was put into the Royal Treasure and sometimes formally on display.

Once while airing out Mugen, the young Prince Yu Kanda had picked up the sword out of curiosity. Zhu watched how the prince and blade fit like a puzzle and knew that with time, they would become one. The old swordsmith took it up to the king and pleaded for the king to give the prince Mugen.

But the king refused and Mugen was put away once more.

The prince, from that day forward, trained diligently with the sword under the generals of the castle and all with Zhu's supervision.

Secretly, Kanda handled Mugen and became one with the sword a little at a time.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Okay. We'll stop here." Zhu said and sheathed his practice sword. Kanda did the same, but just as he finished the action, he was assaulted by an energetic red-head.

"Yuuuu-chaaaaan!"

The boy latched onto the prince tightly, and the prince glared at him.

"Argh! Get off you baka usagi!"

"Nyeh!" Lavi made a face and jumped off the prince's back. "Yuu-chan's a meanine!" Lavi pouted.

Kanda only tch-ed. "What do you want now?"

"I came to visit ya!" Lavi twirled around with his hands behind his head. "Hello Old Man Zhu!"

Zhu gave Lavi a smile. "Hello Lavi. What have you been doing lately?"

"Nuuthing!"

Lavi spun around once and then flopped down on the grass. "So, Yuu-chan." He said pleasantly. "What did your dad want?"

"Che." Kanda took a seat on a nearby bench. "The princess of that rich island country is coming to stay for a week or two."

Zhu taking a seat next to Kanda, said, "Really? I didn't hear of that."

"Well, it's pretty hard to miss." Lavi said. "Everyone has been talking about it, you know."

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Kanda asked, scowling at Lavi.

"Oh, I was going to. But what would be the fun in that?"

"At least then I would've known."

"Knowing you, you'd probably find the first excuse to leave!"

Kanda rolled his eyes. "No shit Sherlock."

Zhu chuckled to himself. It was so nice to see the prince acting his age since he usually was so uptight, strict, and angry.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"So, now that you know, what are you going to do?" Lavi asked Kanda curiously.

Kanda sighed. "Can't abandon the duty of escort that easily, can I?"

Lavi considered it. "Eh, I guess not. Say, what do you think the princess will be like? She's bound to be beautiful, that's for sure."

Kanda rolled his eyes. "Like I even care. As long as she's not a nuisance and she doesn't extend her stay, I expect I'll be fine."

"And if she is and she does?"

Kanda scowled. "Don't go there."

"Okay." Lavi backed off from the conversation topic. "So what happened during training?"

"It was a draw."

The air filled with silence, and Zhu felt slightly out of place.

Suddenly, it was broken by one of the maids who was running towards them.

"Ah! Lavi-san!"

"What is it, Mita?"

"Spellmaster Bookman wishes to see you now." The brunette told him.

"Eh? What does Jiji want now?" Lavi muttered under his breath and then flashed Mita a smile. "Thanks Mita." He stood from the grass, and brushed off any lingering pieces of green. "I'll go now. Bye Yuu-chan! Bye Zhu!" Lavi gave them a little wave as he left, following Mita to Bookman.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"There you are." Bookman said the moment Lavi walked into the Royal Library. "You may go." He told the maid who bowed and left the room, closing the door in the process.

"You wanted me, Old Man?"

"Have you finished all the assignments I gave you?" Bookman inquired and Lavi nodded.

"When have I not?" Lavi asked, but hurriedly added, "Of course I did."

Bookman nodded. "Good. You know the Princess of Palauhikila is coming in four days."

"No duh. Do you want me to do something?"

"No, merely observe for the time being."

"Is that all?"

"No. Go and restack the entire shelf in the workshop." Bookman said sternly.

Lavi's mouth dropped in shock. "What? But-"

"No buts. Do it and be quick about it."

"Fine." Lavi walked out of the Library grumbling under his breath, but complied with his master's wishes nevertheless.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

**A/N:**  Happy LaviYuu Day! Please R&R! And thanks to  **Oh My Fudge** for the story title!


	2. The Early Arrival of the Expected Princess

Lavi walked around the castle hallways, bored. Yesterday, he had been forced to restack the entire bookcase in the workshop. Bookman often made him do this activity as an example of the different sorting ways of other places world-wide. It was said to also get used to things getting mixed up and should such a thing happen, Lavi had to be prepared and notice straight away if anything was missing, however bland the contents might seem.

Taking view of the green scenery outside, Lavi considered bothering the prince, but decided against it, since the prince seemed to be more stressed than ever at the prospect of the princess's arrival.

No, he wouldn't talk to Kanda today. He valued his life contrary to what others thought, and didn't want it to end  _too_  early.

Pondering some more, Lavi was finally enlightened with the thought of going to town.

' _I'll go visit Fou!'_  He decided and happily skipped out of the castle.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Prince Kanda! Prince Kanda! Come quick!" Mita shouted, running across the open field. "It's the princess from Palauhikila! She's here!"

Kanda glanced up from the book he was reading and looked at the maid. "What?" he asked, having not quite heard the maid, who had been rushing her words.

Mita stopped beside him, and paused for breath. "It's Princess Ida! She's arrived!"

Kanda only stared at her. "What do you mean? She's not supposed to come until two days later!" He was standing now.

"The look-out soldiers saw the banner from two miles away!" Mita exclaimed. "The King summons you to the throne room immediately!"

"Che!" Kanda closed his book with angrily and stormed off the field.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda had been leisurely reading a novel, finally alone and in peace. The preparations for the princess' arrival stressed him out, because the more he thought about it, the more he knew that he didn't like it. The day before, he had grudgingly finished things ahead of schedule. Now, he was glad that everything was finished the day before.

Glancing down, he ran a quick eye over his attire and glad to see that he had chosen a semi-formal outfit to wear that morning. Walking faster, he quickly saw the throne room loom into sight and sailed in through the doors.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

At the throne room, King Falaron was waiting impatiently for his son to arrive while the Queen was going over her two other children's attires.

When Kanda sailed into the room, the King gave a sigh of relief. "There you are, Yu," he said. "The princess shall arrive at any moment now."

Kanda merely grunted and moved to stand beside his brother on his father's side, opposite of his sister whom was on his mother's side.

"Good." The queen nodded approvingly of her heir's attire as he stood beside his brother.

All that was left was to wait for the princess.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda stood still as a rock. Beside him, his nine-year-old brother fidgeted, unable to successfully hold still. Opposite of them, their thirteen-year-old sister was standing calmly, straight and with correct posture. Their parents, the King and Queen Falaron, were the only two that had the comfort of sitting down as they all waited the arrival of the Palauhikila's royalty.

" _Pst_!"

Kanda looked at his brother who had whispered to him.

"Is she here yet?"

Kanda rolled his eyes at the moronic question, and deigned to not answer.

The king frowned at his youngest child, and the nine-year-old pouted.

"But it's been twenty minutes!" he protested, but walled off into silence once more.

Suddenly though, the doors opened and a procession walked in, complete with people and their personal trumpets.

"Announcing the Princess Ida von Herring of the Royal Island Palauhikila!"

"I guess you have your answer." Kanda muttered under his breath as the expected finally appeared.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Greetings, Your Majesties." The princess said, curtsying politely before the King and Queen of Ardua. Standing up straight, one could tell she was a definite beauty with long, golden and gleaming blonde hair with a set of royal blue eyes. Her skin was only slightly tanned, as she did not spend much time outside of her kingdom's palace. She wore a dark-going-to-light-pink gown that matched her French-Rose-colored necklace and earrings.

"I am Princess Ida von Herring of Palauhikila, and am delighted in making your acquaintance."

"Welcome to our castle, my dear." Queen Falaron smiled down at the princess from her throne politely.

"It is a wondrous event to have you here." King Falaron said. "Here," his arms gestured beside. "These two are my sons, Prince Yu Kanda Falaron and Prince Timothy Hearst Falaron!" Both Kanda and Timothy bowed politely in turn.

"And this is my daughter, Princess Beatrice **(1)**  Henriette Falaron!" From beside her mother, Beatrice curtsied at Palauhikila's princess.

"I trust you will all get along with each other." The king said, addressing the younger royals in the room. Turning to the princess, he said, "Also, my eldest son here, will be your escort and guide during your stay at our castle. That is, unless you wish to have the company of another female, who would be my daughter Beatrice, instead?"

Kanda fervently hoped that yes, she would want his sister as a guide, but no, he couldn't have his way.

Princess Ida stared at the taller, and evidently older, prince, mentally nodding with satisfaction. Yes, he was a looker and a devilishly handsome one at that—more handsome than a portrait could acquire of him.

She gave King Falaron and Kanda a smile. "I'd be delighted of having the honor to be escorted by Prince Yu Falaron." she said, omitting his middle name like everyone tended to do.

"Excellent!" The French king loudly boomed.

The queen smiled. "Now, dear. I'm sure our guests must be tired." She looked the entourage from Palauhikila that came with the princess. "You may all go to rest. Our maid Mita," here, she gestured to the brunette maid who bowed with the mention of her name, "will show you and your entourage your prepared quarters. If you have any questions or requests, feel free to ask Mita, or any of the butlers and maids around the castle. I hope you find your rooms to your liking and have a pleasant stay." With her gentle words, Queen Falaron dismissed the Palauhikilans who bowed and left with Mita.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

As soon as the room was empty of the newcomers and the doors closed, Kanda turned on his father while his brother and sister stretched their legs by walking slowly around the room.

"Excellent, father? Did you have to say 'excellent' specifically?" Kanda asked, scowling.

"Well, it came in the moment!" King Falaron replied, somewhat defensively.

Kanda merely rolled his eyes in response.

"How rude! Don't roll your eyes at me!" the king exclaimed.

"Yu, darling. Don't be impolite towards your father." Queen Falaron said, chiding her son gently, but with a stern look.

Kanda sighed, but stopped rolling his eyes.

"Never mind that! What did you think of Princess Ida?" The King asked to his children.

"Don't like her." Kanda's response was blunt and immediate, but the king ignored that.

"She seems nice, I suppose." Beatrice replied.

"Nah, I agree with Kanda—she strikes me as rude." Timothy said casually.

"Well, from our reports of the place, the Princess is really a most polite, caring, and loving person who has the respect of her kingdom's people." The king said. "I believe you will get along great after you get to know her. There will plenty of time for that during her stay here."

"And I want all of you to be polite and nice to her and her entourage." Queen Falaron reminded her children. "Especially you, Kanda."

"We'll be on our best behavior during her stay, Mother." Princess Beatrice replied for her brothers.

She curtsied and both Timothy and Kanda took her cue, bowing at the same time. "Good day, Father and Mother." They all said in perfect unison before exiting the room.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"How can you think she is kind, Bea? She seems more like the type who is a wussy prick." Kanda said as he walked alongside his sister.

"Calm down Kanda." Beatrice said. "You hardly know the girl."

"Yeah, but you'll know her well enough." Timothy said from the other side of their sister. "Isn't she staying for two weeks? And you're gonna be her guide."

"Well, I don't care." Kanda retorted with some disdain.

Beatrice frowned at her older brother with that piercing look she had that made others uneasy. "At least try to tolerate her. Since you don't even know her yet, let her have a clean slate in your mind. She might be tolerable you know."

Kanda was unfazed by her stare, and Timothy's footsteps skipped along as they walked farther down the hall.

"Che." Kanda narrowed his eyes. "You two better hope that she's damn well tolerable." He snarled. "Or else you can guarantee that her stay will  _not_  be pleasant . . . for you."

With that said, Kanda walked away from his siblings. Timothy and Beatrice involuntarily gulped, and quickly hoped that Princess Ida was indeed a very nice and not annoying girl, beloved to all.

"Sis, maybe you should do something." Timothy said, and Beatrice looked down at her brother with a surprised expression.

"Like what?" she asked quizzically.

Timothy shrugged. "I dunno. Some girl things to keep her busy and out of brother's hair." He gave his words a thought, then added, "Literally. She looks like the type who wants to play with dolls, I think."

Beatrice nodded. "I shall see what I can do." She swept away from her brother and headed for their guest's room. Timothy watched her go for a minute and then left for the library.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Beatrice knocked on the door of Ida's room lightly. Having seen a maid come out earlier, she knew that the older girl was not sleeping.

After three knocks, the door opened to reveal the island princess and she stared at Beatrice with a surprised expression on her face.

"Hello, Princess Falaron." Ida said. "What brings you here?"

Beatrice smiled at her. "Please, just call me Beatrice, Princess Ida. I actually came to hang out with you, since you'll be staying with us for a while and it would be good for us to be friends, seeing as I  _am_  the only female of the family besides my mother." She gave a little laugh.

Ida smiled. "Alright then. Come in, come in." She said, and Beatrice stepped inside while thinking,  _'She certainly seems nice enough. I'm sure she's fine.'_

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda walked into the Royal Library and searched for a quiet spot in which to read and hopefully forget about his troubles concerning the recently arrived princess. Glancing at the clock and at the pages of his book, he determined that by the time he finished the book, Princess Ida would be busy with her entourage and he would not run into her by any chance.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Beatrice exited Princess Ida's room in no hurry. She had spent about two hours with the island princess and found her to be sweet and kind—but in a strange way, though she could not figure why she thought that way. In any case, she was alright and as long as she did not annoy Kanda, life in the castle would be fine.

A small frown appeared on the blue-haired princess' face as she recalled the earlier conversation. Princess Ida's questions had been general and common, never-exactly lingering on one subject to long. Yet Beatrice had taken a strange notice that Ida had asked a lot about Kanda though she tried to be rather subtle about it, by switching topics every now and again.

' _I just hope that she_ _ **is**_ _alright . . . and if not, then hopefully brother has a stress-ball handy.'_

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Princess Ida walked out of her room five minutes after Princess Beatrice had exited it. She had been quite tired on the trip to Ardua's castle which was located in center of the middle-sized kingdom. However, any lingering fatigue she might have acquired on the long trip instantly vanished after seeing the handsome elder prince.

Walking casually, she decided to explore the place. Walking by several doors, she was about to pass a particularly grand and large door when it suddenly opened, hitting her square in the face.

"Oof!"

Princess Ida landed on her butt onto the hard wooden floor of the palace. Her eyes were widened in astonishment. Had someone really just hit her with the door? She glanced up, ready to yell at the rude person, but stopped, seeing the face of the elder Prince Falaron, Yu Kanda.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda made sure that his face showed nothing when he pushed the swinging door of the library outwards to exit and ended up smacking the very person he wanted to avoid on the face. Inside his mind, he was screaming,  _'No, no, no! Not her! DAMNIT!'_

His current feelings were full of shock and resentment at seeing her face. But none of that was reflected on his face. Instead, it was a cool mask of shocked and troubled concern.

"Princess!" he exclaimed, easily feigning the concerning tone in his voice. "Are you alright?" Though he didn't want to, he extended a hand towards her. "Here, let me help you."

She took the offered hand gracefully, standing with its help. "Thank you so much, Prince Falaron." She said, giving him her best smile and pretended not to notice that she was still holding onto his hand.

But Kanda noticed, and quite quickly took his hand away from hers with subtleness. "I apologize for running into you like that." He said, bowing with proper etiquette required of a prince. "I presumed that you were resting in your quarters. And what are you doing here, without a guide or a maid?"

"Well, I was resting, but then Princess Beatrice came and we had quite a wonderful discussion. I did not feel tired after she left, and really, I had no intention of wandering around the castle alone, but there was no one around. Actually, I wanted to stop by the kitchens to check how my servants were doing, but as you can see, I'm afraid I got rather lost." Ida batted her eyelashes shyly as she told her story to him.

Kanda stared at the girl. "Well, there is a bell to summon the servants and one or two of them are always running around."

Ida, as most princesses did, gave him the customary Princess Pout. "I supposed I  _could_  have found a servant eventually, but at the time, there simply was no one around!" Her words were not at all that loud, but she put a little passion in her voice. Perhaps he would fall for  _that_  instead. She gave him a shy smile. "And, well… since you  _are_  supposed to be my official escort," Kanda did not like where the conversation was going, but could not do a thing about it but listen until she finished talking.

"Would you mind guiding me today?" She ended, and would have flashed him with one of her brilliant smiles, but quickly remembered she was supposed to be somewhat shy, for now, seeing as they just met.

"I'm afraid I would have to decline, Princess Ida." Kanda said, making his tone sound regretful as if he really  _was_  sorry to leave her. But his mind was contradicting with his mouth as he thought,  _'Damn right I'm gonna decline!'_

"Why is that?" Princess Ida asked, with a saddened and disappointed expression on her face. Her mind was in some sort of turmoil. She couldn't loose him just as they met! That was unthinkable!

"I'm busy." Replied Kanda, seeking a way to leave the princess and not get followed by her at the same time.

"With what?" Ida inquired with some persistence.

"I have Princely duties to attend to." Kanda refused to disclose his next destination.

"Such as?"

Princess Ida didn't know it, but she was starting to grate on Kanda's nerves, even though he had told himself that he would at least give her a chance to make a good impression on him and wouldn't judge her. He was starting to think about changing his mind about that decision.

"…Well, for one thing, I have to inspect the guards." Kanda said, and although his response was rather lame, that tiny detail was quickly smothered out.

"Can I come along as well? On the way there, you can show me some of the castle's history. I promise I won't be a disturbance."

"I'd rather you not."

"But as the Princess of Palauhikila, and as your guest, the royal guards here should know me, in case something unexpected happens."

Kanda cursed mentally as she threw out some logic in her request. He couldn't exactly turn her down now—not without her causing some political commotion. And he hated when that happened, because it turned everyone stupid and made things much more complicated for him, especially dealing with another country's royal.

"They can meet you later." Kanda said. "There is that ball welcoming your arrival this week."

"I would love not to get lost." Ida said firmly. "Please guide me." She was done being polite to win this argument.

Kanda, who was at a loss for words, suddenly found himself wishing for Lavi to magically appear and take the Princess away. That mouth of his would certainly distract her long enough for Kanda to make his getaway. As good as Kanda was at being a diplomat, there were certain situations (such as this) that he was  _not_  good at.

"Fine." Kanda gave her a slight bow. "Princess Ida, if you would follow me?"

Ida took his arm and Kanda tried hard to ignore it. "Is there something you would like to see?" He asked, making polite conversation.

Ida nodded as they walked forward to exit the hallway, saying conversationally, "Yes, if you don't mind, I would like a look at the Hall of Royal Achievements. Your sister, Princess Beatrice, had told me much entrancing details of it and I would like to see it for myself."

Kanda blinked.  _'Beatrice?'_  his mind asked bewildered, but he responded with the standard, "Of course" aloud.

Timothy listened with open ears and watched as his brother and guest leave the hallway. ' _Oh, boy. Bro's definitely got it in for Bea!'_  Following that thought, Timothy wandered off.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Later that evening, after a formal dinner that seemed to have lasted  _forever_ , Prince Timothy Hearst Falaron found himself entering the chambers of his sister and come across his siblings' argument.

"How could you?" Kanda glared at his sister.

"It's not my fault! Don't get so angry!" Beatrice defended herself.

"You kept her awake! And then she ran into me!" Not exactly how it happened, but Kanda didn't care for details at the moment.

"How was I supposed to know she would sneak out?" Beatrice's brown eyes flashed angrily at her brother's unreasonable argument. "And besides! I was trying to see how she was, and to make sure you would not be annoyed by her!"

Kanda sneered. "And look how that turned out! Why couldn't you wait until tomorrow—then I would spend less time with her!"

Beatrice threw her hands up into the air. "Well  _sor-ry_  for trying to help!"

The two glared and glowered at each other, furious blue eyes meeting angry brown ones.

This was interrupted by the youngest sibling who suddenly entered the conversation.

"Could you guys stop arguing? You two are really loud and Mom and Dad are going to come in and yell at you!"

They turned their looks onto Timothy.

"Stay out of this." Kanda said, annoyed.

Beatrice rolled her eyes. "No. Let's see what he decides. And it's better to bring Timothy than our parents into this discussion.  _They_  still believe that you actually might like her!"

Timothy started to talk before Kanda could say anything. "Well, for starters, I'm not going to judge on whose fault it is, because then you'll get mad at me."

"What I will say is this. We should keep an open mind and don't pass judgment on her until we get to know her better; she's only been here for a day."

This was probably the smartest thing Kanda and Beatrice ever heard from their nine-year-old brother. And that was saying something, knowing his normal, oblivious, and oh-so  _stupid_ personality.

Kanda and Timothy soon left the outer chambers of Beatrice's room, the sounds of the castle lapsing into the deep quiet of night.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

**A/N:** Thanks to  **Serenity a.k.a. Serena** , and  **seiyuurabu**  for reviewing.

 **(1)**  Beatrice is pronounced as 'bee-ah-trice' not 'bee-trice'.


	3. A Day with the Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is June 6th, Kanda's birthday and the start of the 2011 LaviYuu Festival! Happy Birthday, Kanda!
> 
> Sorry for the long wait, but I hope this chapter is worthy enough for your eyes. (Eight pages long on word, you know! ^ ^) But anyway, since its summer, I hope to update a little bit more. Again, I promise nothing, but for certain, my goal for this story's next update will come up in a month. For the Yuuvi/LaviYuu lovers out there, you know what day I mean! So, without further ado, I present to you chapter three!

Early the next morning, around five A.M., Kanda walked out of his room silently headed for one of the courtyards outside. He didn't want to be around when the princess woke up, and figured that if he ended up missing for most of the morning that day, he could possibly spend less time with her. And, his parents might finally realize that he didn't like her.

Right now, though, Kanda started to push all thoughts of his life away from him. As soon as he reached his destination, he was going to use (hopefully) the  _entire_  morning to meditate in peace, without anyone trying to look for him. In any case, he wouldn't hear them because he was going to the one of the castle's most excluded and private grounds.

He considered going to get some breakfast as he passed, the kitchen, but decided against it, for he had been careful to avoid any servants that were up, and if he were to walk into the kitchen now, then his effort to remain unseen would be pointless.

Quickly striding past the kitchen, he rounded the corner and walked straight into a certain red-head who had been missing for the entire day yesterday.

"Che! You idiot!" Kanda hissed at him in a whisper.

Lavi rubbed his head. "Ah? Yu-"

Kanda glared at him. "Not so loud, fool!" The prince glanced around them and then started to walk forward. The red-head followed him of course, but was quiet about it.

"Ne, Yuu. Where ya going?"

"Meditating."

"But isn't the princess here?"

"That's exactly why I'm going."

"But aren'tcha supposed to guide her?"

Kanda snorted. "I've had about enough of that from yesterday." he snapped.

"Really?" Lavi's single eye widened. "Was she that bad?"

Kanda rolled his eyes. "No, she wasn't. In fact, I might actually like her." His voice was heavy with sarcasm and Lavi gave out a little laugh.

"Alright, alright. So where are you going?"

"None of your business." Kanda finally reached the courtyard doors and exited, only saying one last thing to Lavi. "Don't follow me."

Lavi stood, and watched as Kanda left, and then carefully closed the door. That way, no one would suspect that Kanda was outside.

"Hmm, I guess I'll just have to see this princess for myself~" He walked away towards the dining hall where everyone would later arrive for breakfast.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Bookman frowned when he entered his workshop. Everything was in place and in order, but there was something strange about it. As he surveyed the room some more, inspecting the place, he finally figured it out. Someone foreign had been in here and had looked around to mostly likely steal information.

It wasn't difficult for Bookman to find the source of magical energy hidden in the room and to mercilessly crush the unsuspecting object. Hmph. He had not been awarded the title of Spellmaster out of politeness and courtesy. His skill was far greater than most people knew or suspected, and he did not very often show it.

Since it was a foreign presence, Bookman suspected that a Palauhikilan from Princess Ida's entourage was responsible. Otherwise, it would be an outside intruder but Bookman already had a suspect in mind.

There were rumors that Sorcerer Tyki Mikk, a formidable user of magic, was a disciple of the Millennium Earl. It had also recently circuited through the underworld grapevine that he was a member of NOAH. If that was true, Bookman would have to be careful. Casting a last glance at the room, he exited and locked the door.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi had been chatting up a storm with the kitchen staff and learned some information about the princess of Palauhikila whose name he learned was Ida von Herring. Apparently she had spent the entire day yesterday with Kanda. Lavi chuckled at that statement. No wonder Kanda had seemed angry. He hadn't been able to get rid of her for a single minute, it seemed. Princess Ida appeared kind to the servants and other staff members who worked in Ardua's castle. Her own servants praised her when they were in her earshot and also described life on their island home.

"Lavi-sama, you should go sit down." Serena, one of the maids, told him. "It's almost seven o'clock. We'll bring out breakfast when everyone arrives."

"Sure." Lavi left the kitchen and was about to take a seat at the table when another person arrived. She had long, silky blond hair, royal blue eyes, had on pink earrings and a necklace, and wore a pink gown. Lavi immediately assumed it was Princess Ida—the description he was given matched her.

He walked over and bowed. "Hello. I presume you are Princess Ida? My, your portraits seem to not even begin to describe your beauty." His compliment was smooth and he kissed her outstretched hand like a gentleman.

"Why, thank you, sir-"

"Lavi."

"Oh yes. Thank you Lavi." The princess gave Lavi a smile, but he detected some irritation behind her smile.

"Please, take a seat." Lavi held out a chair for her which she took.

"So, what part of the staff are you? You seem to like the castle." She asked, glancing at Lavi who was about to take a seat.

"Me? Well, I'm well-rounded in my skills."

"Ah, a butler then? Well, you seem very energetic for one."

Lavi's mind raced, thoughts quickly running in his head. A butler? She hadn't even bothered nor cared to know what position he truly had! It seemed her assumption of things was good enough for her, and Lavi wondered whether he should play along. Breakfast was fast approaching, and soon the others would arrive, expecting him to sit and eat, not serve out the meal. A plan began to formulate in his mind. Why not? After all, it would end up being fun and who knew what he would discover? Oh! And it would definitely allow him to keep an eye on the interactions between her and Kanda! It didn't matter that breakfast was approaching. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It would only be for a while, just like all the other times he posed as someone else to the guests of castle Ardua. During those times, he was able to coax smothered laughs of amusement from the Royal Siblings with mirth-bright eyes. He could definitely do it and keep up the façade for a while with absolutely no objections from the people in the castle. Well, except for maybe Bookman, but he was in a separate category altogether. The castle staff had been in service to the royal family long enough to be used to Lavi's antics. It was always better, not to mention easier, just to play along with him, than to say or do otherwise. And if their Highnesses liked it, then why not?

Lavi's decision was made in three heartbeats. "Yes, as I have been in the service to the Royal Family in this position for quite sometime, it seems that I have accumulated an excess of the energy need to carry out my responsibilities with vigor."

"Very well. Why don't you go supervise the kitchen or something?" Ida waved her hand, a clear sign of dismissal.

Lavi bowed. "I certainly shall." He left her, and entered the busy kitchen. It was Serena who spotted him as he came through the doors.

"Lavi-san? Did you leave something behind?" Her mouth held the slightest hint of a frown, as it was apparent she was busy decorating a dish. It didn't faze or deter Lavi in the slightest, since Serena was one of the best in the castle for decorating foodstuff. She could finish a design even when distracted, and hardly ever upset the pattern she was creating, even while listening to startling or morbid news.

"I've come to help out and supervise you all!" Lavi declared.

"Go on then." Serena's attention had turned back to her task. As Lavi often said random things and helped around the castle just about everywhere, she and some nearby helpers thought nothing unusual of his words, more did they bother to ask the why of it. Sometimes things were better left unknown.

Wandering around, Lavi found Chef Ramosse creating a dish of pancakes and eggs, with hotcakes on the side. The aroma of freshly made golden syrup filled the air, mingling with the other heavenly scents that filled the room.

Time flew by extremely fast, and when it turned seven, Lavi found himself loading his tray with the two dishes meant for the Princess and Prince, Beatrice and Timothy. They sat opposite each other with Beatrice on the second seat at the queen's left and Timothy on the second seat at the king's right, though at more traditional and public gatherings their seats were switched. As the current heir, Kanda's honored spot was on the first seat at the right side of his father. It had been given to him at his ascension to the position of crown prince but on the second day of holding the position, he returned to his customary seat between his mother and sister. This action had led to a tiny rift between King Leonard and Prince Kanda that was left unresolved, and the matter no longer spoken of. Thus, there was an empty seat between the king and the youngest prince, and it remains as such, for Timothy dares not sit in the spot his older brother once occupied, even with the permission of his father.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Princess Ida von Herring may have been the first to sit in the dining hall, but space was quickly filling. Tyki Mikk was the second person to enter, and as her advisor, not to mention tutor and secret personal bodyguard, he took a spot beside her. After him was Princess Beatrice with a maid. Following was Prince Timothy and a taller man that Ida didn't know. Eventually, everyone of importance had arrived, and it wasn't until Ida started eating that she realized Kanda was absent.

"Excuse my curiosity, but I wonder, where is Prince Kanda? Has he not been informed of breakfast?" Ida politely inquired, voicing her question aloud.

"Yes, where is that son of mine?" King Leonard said with a frown. "He is always very punctual." The king paused, intending to speak more, but the blue-haired princess quickly took the opportunity to voice herself without rudely interrupting her father, which would be a disrespectful thing to do.

"Ah, Kanda? I am not entirely sure of his whereabouts either. He often does not eat breakfast with us, but it is also often that he does. The duties of the Crown Prince are very extensive and time-consuming, and I am sure you would know of such tasks, seeing as you are the Crown Princess of your kingdom." Beatrice smiled at Ida. "There is no need to be concerned of this matter. My brother can quite skillfully take care of himself."

Ida returned a smile at Beatrice, though inwardly annoyed, as the other princess had failed to convey the prince's whereabouts. "I am pleased to hear that. Though, where and when could I possibly find him? As he is my guide and host, it is a part of his duties to be my guide."

Beatrice gave another graceful smile. "My brother would never shirk his duties and will always be where he is needed. As for a guide, well, all the servants here can answer any question that you may have, and certainly my younger brother and I can also adequately show you around. And, may I ask? Do you enjoy that pancake dish? Our Chef Ramosse is one of the best, and he  _does_  make a quite stunning dish without much effort."

"Your chef makes delicious food, I will admit." Ida folded her napkin. "However, I must confess that I do rather miss the taste of my homeland that is created by the head chef back in the palace."

"Ah, I would love to try any dish created by your chef. Perhaps you can bring him here on your next visit."

"Or, you could visit my home instead. It is such a lovely place."

Timothy watched the verbal battle between his sister and their guest with much amusement. Beatrice really was the politest out of all of them, and never actually disobeyed their parents or disrespected them openly. However, by not allowing the king or queen to converse with the princess, Beatrice was, in her own way, trying to make up for her actions the day before. Hopefully, this would keep the princess away from Kanda for a long while—long enough to keep Beatrice in her brother's good grace.

A nudge at Timothy's elbow took his attention to the violet-haired man beside him, Tsukikami, who happened to be his bodyguard, tutor, and advisor all at once. "Yes?" Timothy asked, quietly.

"Timothy-sama, I know this is quite an amusing scene to watch, but you must eat your meals or you will never grow taller and stronger, and your brother will scoff at the mere sight of your face. Not to mention you have a busy day ahead of you."

Scowling, Timothy replied, "He already does that!" But the taunt succeeded and Timothy dug his fork into his own syrup-covered pancakes. Tsukikami watched in satisfaction as the boy took ten more bites.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The servants stood wordlessly behind the seated people, moving only to offer more choices or when called for. Bookman himself kept a discreet eye on his apprentice and another on the tan-skinned Portuguese who sat beside the Island Princess. Mentally, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Lavi running around the room as a servant instead of sitting down at the table. But, considering the situation, it was perhaps better for the boy to be disguised.

Hearing the voice of Tsukikami on his left, Bookman reminded himself to leave the table without drawing too much attention. The best time to leave would be when everyone else was, which would be in fifteen minutes. The day was going to be a fairly busy one with the ball being planned that very night. Bookman took a long sip of his drink and continued to consume his meal. He doubted there would be time for it later.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

In fifteen minutes, the servants came to clear the table when the king and queen stood to leave. All the others took their cue and made their way out of the kitchen. As it was the day of the ball, the servants had much to do; in fact, they were the exact the same duties as required from the previously held balls. The members of royalty also had to prepare for the night's event.

Ida found herself walking in the same direction as Beatrice as they left the dining hall. Secretly, she wanted to test the other girl, but Ida knew that she could not be  _too_  rude or do much to make the Falaron royalty dislike her. She didn't want to be kicked out like the other girls of high social status who had been sent before her by others to court the prince. And to be rejected would be an equal embarrassment! She had promised herself that she would be the one to wed the prince after seeing a mere glimpse of his portrait.

Tyki glanced down at his charge, wondering if she was fantasizing about the prince. Not that he blamed her, since Prince Kanda  _was_  pretty hot, not to mention that he placed number one ten times in  _La Royaume_ , the popular and widely-read paper in the world that featured articles about all manners of things. It was a surprisingly successful paper that had five branches, each within the five major kingdoms of the land.

"Princess Ida, what will you do next?" Beatrice politely asked starting up a conversation.

"Well, I was thinking of looking for Prince Kanda so that we could finish our tour of the palace." Ida responded.

"If you want, I'd be happy to give you the tour in place of my brother." Beatrice suggested.

"Why, thank you for the offer, but I don't want to take the time off of your busy schedule."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all really. I insist."

"I couldn't possibly do that. How about I wait in the garden and you can pass the message to your brother that I am waiting for him there?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Do you know where the garden is?"

"Yes, I know the way."

The hallway suddenly split into two corridors and the two parties stopped in the middle. Obviously, they were going in separate ways now.

Beatrice turned to Ida. "Are you quite sure that you don't want me to accompany you to the gardens and wait with you for my brother to arrive?"

"Quite sure. Thank you for the offer though. And please be sure to send the message to Prince Kanda that I shall be waiting for him in the Royal Gardens." Ida gave Beatrice a smile and then swept away with Tyki to the gardens in wait for Kanda.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi carried a tray out of the kitchen while humming a little note and almost ran straight into his grandfather.

"Whoa!" The red-head skidded to a halt as Bookman scrutinized him up and down. "Jiji! Did you need something?"

"No." Bookman started to walk and Lavi followed him into a more quiet and secure spot to talk.

" . . . Uh, are you mad that I'm dressed like this? 'Cuz I've got a really good explanation ya know. I'm gonna be a butler for the duration of Princess Ida's stay here! That's okay right?"

"It's fine. I actually need you off the radar as my grandson for the time being. Gleam some information from the princess, but don't reveal yourself. And watch out for the Portuguese man."

"Huh? Um, okay. Wait, did something happen?" Lavi's tone turned serious. "Nothing happened to the workshop, did it?"

"No, but I did find a spy. I will thoroughly investigate the matter, but I need you to some more undercover work." Bookman said.

"Heh, I guess it's a good thing that we have that tradition of not publically announcing our line of continuity, huh? It's great when we have jobs like this."

"Don't be a fool and don't screw up." Bookman whacked Lavi on the side of his and then left, leaving his grandson alone.

"I won't."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

As soon as Bookman was gone and making sure that none were walking by, Lavi slipped out of the castle and into the courtyard where Kanda had gone to meditate. When Kanda slipped away from the castle only a certain few knew his hiding spots, and fewer still could persuade him to return. Kanda, since young, had been trained in the martial arts, following his mother's culture. In fact, to the disapproval of many at the court, he neglected all but the most basics of French culture. Now, he was peacefully avoiding all the chaos that court life usually had . . . well, until his stomach growled. Blinking, Kanda's eyes opened slowly, before looking upward to check the position of the sun high overhead. From the rays of light, he could tell it was about ten o'clock. Unfortunately, too early to return, but Kanda  _had_  been in the courtyard since five. It was about high time for him to return, under those circumstances. Especially since he needed to eat.

Silently, the young prince moved to eat, but stopped, hearing something in the distance that was coming closer to him. Branches rustled further and then before him stood a smiling red-head. Kanda allowed his body to stand, taking note of the tray in Lavi's hand. "Hmph. Took you long enough." Kanda grunted as he made his way to a table nearby.

"Aw! Don't be like that! After all I went through to get you this!" Lavi followed him while feigning a hurt expression. He got only a grunt in reply, and ignored it, setting down the tray on the table and pouring the prince some hot tea. "The breakfast this morning was really quite interesting. You should've seen it—that princess was asking for your whereabouts but your sister totally led her in circles! Which is why she waiting for your royal presence in the garden, or so I heard." Kanda almost spat out his tea, but he swallowed the liquid.

"What?" Kanda's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Never mind that. I've a few questions for you, and don't even  _think_  about dodging them."

"Why certainly, Master Kanda." Lavi said in the humble voice servants used that he knew Kanda hated to hear. "What would you like to ask?"

Kanda scowled. "Drop that voice." He commanded, and then questioned Lavi very thoroughly on the scheduling of the castle for the next week. "Tch!" Kanda sipped his tea with furrowed brows when it was revealed that there was little time for him to have any solitude for the entire week. His schedule was busy and very, very, full. The more Kanda thought of it, the angrier he became, and it wasn't long before he was clenching the castle's best porcelain tight in his hand. So tight that it would have cracked, if he had not put it back down on the tray. "Well. I supposed it's time to check up on the princess. I've dallied enough." Kanda stood and swept out of the courtyard, returning to the castle with Lavi right behind him.

They were inside only for a few minutes before running into the princess. Lavi had returned to the kitchen and Kanda deliberately went into the armory, hoping to avoid Princess Ida, for the gardens were in the opposite of the armory. Unfortunately, luck did not seem to be on his side yet again. As Princess Ida walked along side him and asked him questions, Kanda did his best to resist his inner temptations of strangling her.  _'I really need Bea to keep a thicker leash on her,_ ' he thought with a mental scowl while smiling pleasantly on the outside and patiently answering her questions.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Bookman was right to have finished his breakfast. As one not of the Royal Family but still a part of the inhabitants residing within the castle, Bookman had almost the same duties as Tsukikami and the other more important servants of the castle. The morning had been long and tedious, but he now he was free of hindrances and able to perform more serious and personal tasks.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Finally. The day was done with. Kanda sank onto his bed and dwelled on his situation. There was yet another horrid young woman that his father wanted him to wed. If he hadn't wanted to spend  _two days_ with her, then what were the chances that he could spend his  _entire life_ by her side? The thought completely sickened him. It really wouldn't be much of a problem if Kanda wasn't the crown prince, but he was and that meant that he had to be wed and give off heirs for the family lineage, regardless of his own feelings. At this rate, it seemed that he was doomed for an eternity.

Kanda felt despair. He never wanted this kind of life, and never had expected it either. He wasn't meant to be crown prince. He was meant to go out there into the world and have solitary adventures that would benefit the kingdom. He was the exploring knight for the king, not the king himself! Kanda clenched his fist. If only  _he_  hadn't left!

His brother was gone, gone somewhere far, far away, and neither Kanda, Bea, nor Tim could find a trace of him. Not even Bookman the Spell Master, Tsukikami the Future Teller, or even Komui the Resident Scientist, could find a trace of him. It was a futile effort, of course. All the troops in the kingdom could not find a trace of the young prince when he didn't want to be found—he was the best hider in hide-and-seek from within the family. They all knew that if he didn't want to be found, then he wouldn't be. That's how he was hidden for four years already. Regardless, Kanda made them all try their best—of course their lives were at stake if they kept  _anything_  from him. Their father had been furious and their mother locked her heart away from them for a solid two weeks. The servants were in a constant terror because the temper of the Falaron children was legendary.

Kanda opened a drawer that contained items from four years ago. Those items were the remains of the attempts to find the missing Falaron heir. Among them contained clippings of newspaper articles which Kanda had thought pertained to his brother. He and his siblings investigated every last trace with little to no luck. He stared at the items in the drawer for a minute longer before closing it. He turned away and then glanced downward at himself. From his neck, he drew forth a key and held it before him. It twinkled brightly in the light of his room.

The key to Alma's room still was on his person, as were the keys around Timothy's and Beatrice's. The key they held was their connection to their lost older brother. His room was locked, never opened, except for the times that the siblings wanted to enter. But even those times dwindled as the years grew busier. There was only one hope left in the siblings—to reunite one day, some day,  _any_  day, with their brother, at least even  _once_  within their lifetimes.

Kanda tucked the key back under his shirt and moved to his bed. With his hand, he flicked the light switch off and then climbed into bed, settling down and closing his eyes. Only his soft, even breaths could be heard in the darkened room.

_**~x.x.x.x.x~** _

**A/N:** Thanks for the encouragement and support from  **seiyuurabu** ,  **YouMakeMyHeartJiggleLikeJello** ,  **PhreshxxxBear** , and  **Ninja Mafia Mistress**! Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter as well.


	4. Lessons, a Ball, and the Angry Decision!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy LaviYuu Day everybody!

The next day fell into a standard routine that was there before Princess Ida's arrival. Early in the morning, things went smoothly. The royal family had breakfast and then the royal siblings attended their tutoring sessions, which Princess Ida attended due to curiosity. There were four lessons, spaced out in one and a half-hour time-slots with a ten minute transition period: Chemistry with Komui, Weaponry with Zhu Mei Chan, History with Bookman, and Art with Tsukikami. Originally, they were also supposed to have a basic Magic lesson as well, but it was cancelled due to the upcoming events.

They entered one of Komui's rooms around roughly nine o'clock. Their professor, tall and purple-haired with glasses was busy scribbling on the board when they entered. He only stopped when he finally turned around from his work and noticed them.

"Ah! You've all arrived! I hope you had a good breakfast because today's lesson will require all the energy you have!" Komui's voice was certainly very excited and cheerful that morning. Such cheerfulness that early in the morning tended to get on people's nerves, but since Kanda, Beatrice, and Timothy were used to it, they didn't mind Komui's eccentric behavior much. Princess Ida and Tyki, on the other hand, found it hard to take the other man seriously. But Tyki was able to hide his thoughts more successfully than Ida, not that anyone would notice.

Komui started to lecture, pointing excessively to the board on the wall that he had been scribbling on moments before. After a topic, he answered questions as they arose. "Now, pay attention. Equilibrium is a very important state to achieve; balancing chemical equations are not difficult if you just pay attention and be careful with your calculations."

"Excuse me, but what use is chemistry in the real world, Professor Komui?" Princess Ida finally asked, unable to stay quiet in the classroom with this loud eccentric. "That is, if you don't mind my asking." She added as a quick afterthought.

"What use? What use?" Komui's eyes held in them a shocked and excited gleam. "My dear princess, chemistry is one of the many foundations of nature and we humans use it very often in our own lives. For example, cooking is chemistry, is science! The right ingredients must be used and the directions carefully applied when following any recipe to ensure a baking success! It is science because when we are in the middle of an experiment, it is crucial to follow the directions so as to not cause a most fatal disaster!"

Princess Ida's eyes widened. "Really? I never would have guessed that."

"Why, my dear! How could you not?" Komui gestured to Tyki. "I've heard that your advisor is a magician and thus creates potions. Surely you know  _something_  of the matter, like perhaps when he goes out to collect some ingredients or has cautioned you against pouring in too much of one item? That is chemistry as well, and the instructions for spells and potions are not a thing to be taken lightly. Aren't I right, Advisor Mikk?"

Tyki covered the lower half of his face with his hand. "Yes, quite." He added nothing more, so Komui continued to speak.

"See?" He said with a beam. "Chemistry is quite important and you'll do well to learn it! Now, who is ready for an experiment?" Komui's hands clasped together and his eyes were bright behind his glasses. Kanda, Beatrice, and Timothy sincerely prayed in their hearts for Komui to not go to the extreme, especially because they had guests with them this time.

The rest of the lesson involved minor incidents where Komui had misplaced several ingredients and they had to go crawling on the floor and looking through cupboards in their search for it. Even Ida and Tyki participated, though inwardly they knew they would never do such a thing ever in their own castle as such was beneath them. But for now they would be helpful enough to be in their hosts' good graces.

After they gathered all the ingredients, Komui wrote down the instructions on the board and individually they completed the assignment given to them. It took over an hour to do and by the time they finished, their lesson time was almost up.

"Very good, very good!" Komui said, cheerfully collecting their experiment results, paper and concoction alike. "Well, you may be off now. Run along children, run along." Komui waved his hand at them, a clear sign of dismissal. He didn't even look up as they exited the room. Princess Ida frowned at this gesture of disrespect to  _royalty_ , but the Falaron children seemed uncaring of that small detail. Exiting the room, they headed out into the second courtyard where their next instructor was waiting at.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Now, if you have any questions at all, Princess Ida, feel free to ask." Zhu Mei Chan said kindly at the beginning. Then, he addressed his main pupils. "I know you have just been waiting for this particular session for the longest time,  _but-_ " Zhu was cut off by a loud voice.

"WHAAAAAAAAATTT?" Timothy exclaimed at the top of his lungs, the lingering echoes vibrating all around them, and causing nearby servants to halt in their duties and glance toward the youngest prince. Oblivious to the stares, Timothy continued his outburst. "What do you mean  _but_!"

Zhu frowned at him. "Prince Timothy, please behave yourself. If you will allow me to explain myself-"

"I-" Timothy began again, but was cut off by his older sister.

"Tim! Stop it. Let Zhu explain himself." Beatrice said sharply, and Timothy shrunk back. "Please continue."

"As I was saying," Zhu cleared his throat. "We unfortunately must handle something else today, due to the hectic schedule plan for the next upcoming days. I know how disappointed you are, but perhaps we can do this activity another day."

"And what activity is this?" Princess Ida asked politely before Timothy could speak.

"Ah, it is nothing but one of our more extensive kinds of training, Princess Ida." Zhu answered honestly.

"If it is nothing more than that, why is it that they have needed to wait so long?" Princess Ida retorted.

"Well, it is just the way things are run here, princess. And, really, it is just a simple exercise." Zhu replied and said nothing further, intending to close the topic from discussion.

However, the youngest child had other plans. "Zhu, it can't be just  _that_! You  _know_  how long we've been waiting for this—especially nii-san!" Timothy exclaimed, not even caring of their guests' opinions as he looked up at Zhu with a pout on his face.

Zhu looked down at the young prince who looked up at him with an expression of sadness. He also gave a quick glance at his best pupil with a hint of regret in his eyes. He returned his attention to Timothy. "I know, but cheer up! I have planned something else that is just as exciting!" Zhu detached Timothy from his person and strode purposefully past them to a table farther back in the courtyard. Everyone followed him in an orderly fashion, thus how they ended up staring at a small pile swords lying neatly in a row on the table.

"You see," Zhu began, picking up one of the weapons, "I've picked out several of our blades for our exercise today. With the help of some others, I have decided with little difficulty that today's task will be a treasure hunt!"

The three siblings' brows rose. Treasure hunting? With swords? Kanda scoffed while Beatrice looked uncertain and Timothy curious. Princess Ida and her advisor Tyki Mikk looked confused and Zhu continued to explain. "There will be numerous objects lying around. Your task is finding out which object is the accessory that matches the swords. The object of that is to sharpen your notification of objects. When all the objects have been matched, you will face off each other and some of my other pupils depending on which sword you hold in your hand."

Beatrice spoke up. "Zhu, how is this like a treasure hunt? It's more like putting together a puzzle. And why only swords?"

"Good question. It's a treasure hunt because you must find exactly which object matches the swords. Although the puzzle part of it is a nice touch." Zhu answered. "I chose swords randomly, and then spent hours customizing an item for each." This was said with a smile, but the Falaron children knew that what Zhu  _really_  meant was that they should appreciate all the working hours he had put into this project of his.

"This doesn't seem much of a challenge at all though." Timothy grumbled.

"Well, if you don't match each accessory correctly then you will be forced to stay until it has been completed." Zhu said cheerfully. "And if you take too long, then you won't be able to participate in the face off where the winners will get prizes. You must stay until you've completed it, even if it is past the time that the lesson is over. So, take your time! I most definitely won't be the one to explain to Bookman about lateness."

Timothy stiffened almost immediately. Princess Ida took the silence as an opportunity to speak. "Could I participate in this exercise? And my advisor as well if he wishes it."

Zhu nodded. "That's completely fine, my dear." He looked at Tyki to see if the young advisor would participate, but Tyki shook his head no. Shrugging, Zhu began to divide the swords and soon enough there were four small and equal piles on the table. "Pick a pile and begin the hunt!"

Everyone did so, going off at once. Kanda, Ida, and Timothy immediately went in search of the hidden objects while Beatrice stayed at the table, observing her pile of weapons carefully. Zhu observed how Kanda had kept to himself all this time, and easily guessed the other's mood. ' _He must be really mad_ ,' Zhu sighed. ' _Hopefully he can cheer up soon_.'

In a few moments, Kanda and Timothy had gathered together many accessories and dumped it on the ground next to the table. Beatrice immediately bent down and rummaged through them while Kanda and Timothy started sorting through their own. Ida returned moments later with a handful of accessories and added hers to the pile. Zhu however, noticed that overall, quite a few items were missing, and wondered how long it would take for them to notice it.

The atmosphere was quiet as each did their own work. While Zhu observed the four, Tyki played with a stack of cards in his hands. The silence did not last long as the foreign princess was not accustomed to silence whereas the Falaron siblings were. Cautiously, Ida spoke out, intending to start a conversation. "So, how many have you finished?" she asked, taking a glance up to look at the others' progress. Beatrice and Kanda's pile had substantially diminished as the two continued to fit on the swords accessories successfully. Timothy's finished pile was considerably less than that of his siblings but to Ida's dismay, still more than hers. This she could not stand and furiously worked to finish her pile sooner, not uttering another word in the process. Which was just as well, because none of her hosts had bothered to give a response to her question.

In a short time, all the accessories but a few were accounted for. This time, Beatrice and Kanda simultaneously got up to search the forest. Timothy, when done with his pile, got up and joined them. They returned with the remaining few before Ida finished her pile and soon all the piles were done. Zhu nodded approvingly and clapped his hands, signaling the start of the sparring match.

"Pick a sword, any sword." Zhu said while motioning to four of his students on the other side of the courtyard. They came quickly, and lined up, facing the four students. "Ready your weapons everyone. First match: Timothy and Otto." Kanda, Beatrice, and Zhu's three other students immediately backed away from the announced two. Ida quickly followed their lead and stepped back to stand next to Beatrice and Kanda. "Start."

Swords clashed almost immediately. That was like Timothy, who liked to rush ahead. Otto, anticipating this, raised his sword to defend. Timothy moved his sword away and Otto took this opportunity to leap back from him. They glanced at each other, wary.

"Second match: Beatrice and Tema. Start." Kanda, Ida, and the remaining two students of Zhu moved away accordingly as Beatrice and Tema stepped forward to meet each other. Weapons clashed in the background as Timothy and Otto resumed their fight. Unlike her brother, Beatrice was not one to charge in foolhardily. She was more of the type to think and act. However, she was like them in the way that she liked to get things done, and  _quickly_. She moved, and Tema, her opponent, did so at the same time. Their swords clashed against each other now, and four swords rang in the courtyard.

Zhu turned to Ida and Kanda. "Princess Ida, do you wish to have a sparring match as well? If not, then Kanda's match will start."

Ida looked at him. "You mean, against two people?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on it, but yes. It's a rather good training exercise."

Ida went over the idea in her mind and quickly decided. "Very well. I would like to present a taste of my own abilities. You may, of course, give me advice for improvement." She added to Zhu after a moment.

Zhu smiled. "Well, then. Third match: Ida and Cleo. Start."

Ida and Cleo took up their stances on opposing sides, sizing up each other warily. Seconds later, Cleo struck, but Ida blocked it efficiently and not startled, because she knew the move would come. Wanting to see the extent of her opponent's skills, Cleo rapidly slashed at Ida, who turned out to be a very proficient defender. It seemed that Falaron castle's Cleo would win this round, but Tyki Mikk knew better. And indeed, for Cleo swung too hard and missed her target; Ida took that opportunity to change the tables. Ida was on the offense now, and Cleo was forced to parry every blow.

Although most of the spectators admired the third match, Kanda did not, turning instead to give Zhu a meaningful glance. "Fourth match: Kanda and Zorro. Start." Kanda turned away from Ida's match, ready to start his own, for he still had within him feelings of disappointment and annoyance. Zorro was one of Zhu's finest students, and due to Kanda's own skills, Zorro was a person he knew well, for few had the prowess to stand against him at the level he was at. Wanting to work out his frustrations, Kanda, like his siblings, launched the first attack which was dodged by his opponent. They fought, pitting sword against sword, their movements too quick for the eyes of the not trained to follow. Every minute had a sequence of twenty strokes and each had power behind them, intending to wear the other out. Every movement Kanda made was calculated and every response Zorro made was immediate. The two were well matched and familiar with each other's fighting styles. It could also be said that they were so in tune with each other's movements that they could send messages to each other as they struck, a powerful thing that was useful when they were in a team together. This happened now, and after one final  _clang!_  the two stopped abruptly as they started. Kanda and Zorro respectfully bowed to each other, indicating their match as finished. However, other swords still echoed throughout the courtyard. Turning, they observed the others' matches.

Timothy was still desperately pitting against Otto who seemed to dodge the former's movement with utter ease. Beatrice, on the other hand, was skillfully keeping on the offensive against Tema. Ida, Kanda noted without interest, was holding her own against Cleo's maneuvers, even putting up a tough fight against the later. Each battle lasted for only ten minutes more, fascinating the spectators in the area. Well, all except Kanda, but the majority of the servants watching from the corridor, Zhu, Zorro, and Tyki included, were captured by the scenes. Each did not end as expected; Timothy and Ida won their matches while Beatrice lost hers. Although Kanda was the victor of his own match, he passed Zorro the final claim, choosing to be on the loosing side with his sister. Even though he took the title of winner often, Kanda did not want it this time for if he accepted the prize, he knew Zhu would take that as a sign of forgiveness, and he did not want that at this particular moment. True, he had taken out his feelings of anger through his exercise with Zorro, but he was not yet ready for forgive Zhu for postponing yet again that long-awaited lesson.

Zhu clapped his hands. "Well done, you eight!" he said happily, beaming. Tema, Zorro, Ida, and Timothy held small items wrapped up in their hands, but before they could unwrap it, Zhu shooed the later two away, pushing Beatrice and Kanda towards the door. "Hurry, or you won't make it to your next lesson!" Zhu said cheerfully. Taking the hint, the royals dashed off towards their next lesson, three of them praying they would make it in time. Tyki Mikk hurried after them, as he was not yet familiar with the layout of the castle and was not about to loose his charge from a wrong turn.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Calmly, they composed themselves in front of the door before walking into the room. Sitting behind the large wooden desk at the front was Bookman who did not even spare them a glance as they filed into the room, taking their seats in front of him with Tyki Mikk and Ida slightly off to the side. When two minutes passed with silence, Ida and Tyki began to wonder if something was wrong, and sub sequentially jumped when Bookman suddenly spoke. "You are all late." He looked up at them, especially taking note of their special guests. "Princess Ida, Advisor Mikk, you are welcome to observe the lesson from where you are. As for you three," Bookman's attention turned to his main pupils, "I hope that you studied last night, because you have a pop quiz today." He stood and turned to face the blackboard behind him. With chalk in his hand, he began to scribble a series of words: 3 minutes. Dusting off his hands, Bookman faced them and began to quiz them verbally at a rapid pace, stopping only when three minutes passed. "Excellent work. I'm glad to see that you have remembered the material of your previous lesson. Now, we will start the next lesson."

To Ida's disappointment, Bookman was like most traditional tutors in that he only lectured and asked questions. His teaching methods was most certainly nothing like Zhu's and Ida did not bother to pay too much attention to the lesson being taught as she was not a true pupil of Bookman's. Instead, she spent the majority of her time admiring Kanda who did his very best to ignore the eyes boring holes into the side of his head.

Half an hour later, Timothy, Beatrice, and Kanda were busy scribbling down words on paper, and Tyki Mikk was making polite conversation with Bookman at the front, when there was knock on the door and two servants came in. "Here are the inkbottles you called for, sir." Mita said politely, going forward to set the basket down on Bookman's desk. Tyki stepped away and backwards to accommodate her and almost ran into Lavi who was following the other. "Aah!" Lavi dropped his package in surprise but made a grab for it at the same moment Tyki did. They accidentally touched hands, but then Tyki released his hold on the package when he saw that Lavi had it in his hands securely. "Dreadfully sorry about that sir." Lavi said with the package at his side and he bowed to Tyki as the latter regained his balance. "No problem." Tyki said, giving Lavi a charming smile. Pretending as if the incident never happened, Lavi walked to Bookman's desk and put down his burden down, quickly leaving the room with Mita in tow while closing the door behind them. After looking at the basket's contents Bookman put both it and the package away in one of his drawers.

Tyki returned to Ida's side and twenty minutes later, Bookman collected the papers from Kanda, Beatrice, and Timothy. After that they were forced to read their classroom textbooks for twenty more minutes before giving Bookman a twenty minute essay on the subject. At the end of class, Bookman held the door for them as they filed out of his classroom. "I hope you found the lesson to your interest." Bookman said to Ida and Tyki as they were the last two out of the room. "Of course, we found it rather fascinating." Ida said breezily, lying without another glance at Bookman as she sailed out, trailing behind the others whom were walking rather far ahead. Kanda was leading them to their next destination at a rapid place.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Welcome to class, your highnesses." Tsukikami said, greeting them with a bow. "Today, we will be studying the artwork of Vincent van Gogh and some other famous artists." The instructor walked over to a covered easel and removed the cloth to reveal a painting depicting a town at night with the stars and moon overhead in the dark night. "This, is the famous The Starry Night painted by van Gogh!"

The young royals stared at the painting in silence. Ida didn't care too much for it because she had already learnt about it before. Kanda finally spoke up, and his comment was not altogether nice.

"It looks like it was blotted with lots of cheese stains."

Tsukikami sweat-dropped. "Yes, well, everyone thinks of it as a masterpiece."

Kanda's expression was square. "Not me."

Timothy and Beatrice considered the painting themselves. "I like it, Tsukikami." Timothy said cheerfully. Beatrice nodded and said politely, "It is a lovely piece."

"Well, what do you think of this?" Tsukikami walked over to another covered painting and removed the cloth to reveal the same piece but used by a different medium. "This is van Gogh's The Starry Night drawn with a reed pen sometime after the original The Starry Night was created. Admittedly, it is not the same as the original, but it gives off a very calm vibe."

"It's nice." Kanda stated, not looking at anyone but kept his eyes on the picture. Strangely, it gave him a peaceful feeling, not that he would admit it.

Tsukikami smiled in relief, thinking,  _'At least there is one picture he likes,'_  and said aloud, "I'm glad you think so. Timothy, Beatrice?" He turned to the two siblings inquiringly.

"I still like the other one—it has more color to it!" Timothy declared.

"Mm. Both are equally exquisite." Beatrice said with a smile.

"What do you think of van Gogh's piece, Princess Ida, Advisor Mikk?" Tsukikami asked, remembering that he was supposed to include the castle's guests in his lessons with the royal children.

"Van Gogh was a brilliant painter." Ida responded immediately, but she truly cared not for the work or of its creator.

"I agree. And have to say that the second painting compels me, it seems so artistic." Tyki Mikk said with a smile.

"It's good for everyone to take an interest in art. Let's take a look at another artist's work: Froi Tiedoll's Garden of Eden!" Tsukikami revealed a landscape painting full of bright and vibrant colors. That particular painting was known to capture audiences and Tsukikami was delighted to find that the royal children were no exception to this. Well, Kanda he was not sure of, but from the lack of critical comment from the former, Tsukikami assumed that he found the painting to his liking, which was just as well, because he'd really just rather have cooperative students.

Tsukikami then turned his expert eyes on his two guests. While Ida was enraptured by the painting—had she really not seen it before?—her advisor seemed to be merely viewing it almost with boredom. Tsukikami's brow furrowed and he tried to make his observations less obvious. His intuition was right, however. That advisor had to be carefully watched; Tsukikami's gut told him he was a dangerous individual, though there was no clue indicating why.

After showing them all three more paintings, Tsukikami passed them pens and sheets of paper, Ida included, and said, "I am glad that you all take an interest in these famous pieces. Your assignment today is to compare all the paintings, and then pick out the one you like best and write a paragraph explaining the reason why you like it. This will be read over by me. You have until the end of the lesson slot."

As soon as he finished talking, everyone got to work on their assignment. Several times, Ida attempted to make conversation with Kanda, but he only replied politely to her questions and never asked any questions of his own, preventing the conversation from continuing. She was drawn away from Kanda by Beatrice and Timothy separately at different times, and her advisor did nothing but watch the scene, amused. Tsukikami kept to himself behind his desk, and when they finished their assignment, he collected their work and saw them out of his room. Glancing at the clock, Tsukikami noted that it was four-thirty in the afternoon. Hurriedly, he put the papers away in a drawer of his desk and exited the room, locking the door behind him and continuing down the hall. The ball would start in exactly two-and-a-half hours, so he had to get ready.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda rubbed his temple. The day was becoming a hectic one. Early in the morning, things went smoothly with his lessons, but now, he had to prepare for the evening ball, an event that he did not look forward to. Since his clothes had been prepared beforehand, he did not have to spend anymore time with the Royal Tailor, something that he was grateful for. However, that just pushed another pile of duties on his shoulders and he felt himself gaining a headache from it.

"Nii-san?" It was Beatrice at his side, and he glanced at her questioningly. "Here," she said, holding up a plate of soba noodles. He took it gratefully. "I know you haven't had anything to eat yet, so I asked Chef Ramosse to fix up a quick plate for you."

"Thanks." Kanda said, digging into the plate of food.

She smiled at him and cheerfully said, "No problem."

Having food in his stomach made Kanda feel slightly better and he started up a conversation with his sister. "Have you finished your duties?"

She shook her head. "Not quite, but there's nothing left for me to do except to get dressed and report to Mother. You?"

"The same, practically. Where did Timothy run of to?"

Beatrice shrugged. "Who knows? I'll see if Tsukikami has him ready for the evening." She stood and Kanda stood with her. "I'll go with you." He said simply and she smiled at him, happy. Together, they walked down the long corridor in a peaceful silence, taking the time to organize their thoughts.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Ardua's Royal Family!" The herald announced and all the guests clapped politely as the Falaron family entered the room.

"Princess Ida of Palauhikila!" Ida made her own appearance and the clapping continued.

Just then, before a quiet crowd, King Leonard stepped forward to address his guests. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our welcoming ball for our special guest, Princess Ida. It is with hope that she enjoys her stay at our castle in the fine kingdom of Ardua where we have made our home. As much as it is a celebration for her, we hope for you, our citizens to enjoy this night of happiness."

Princess Ida bowed her head to the king and then, with a wide smile on her face, she said, "Thank you for your kindness, King Falaron. I just know that I will love it here." She turned towards her guests. "And I look forward to learn more of this kingdom which is so different from my own." She paused and gave them a truly dazzling smile. "Thank you all for having me."

The citizens burst into a thunderous applause, all of them happy for their King and Queen. And the princess from Palauhikila as well, she seemed like such a nice girl, perhaps she would melt the cold heart of their prince? Such a thought, to see their second prince happy, made them smile. And the rest of the family would follow suit, and truly, Ardua would be the fairy tale kingdom of happiness.

All the royals spent the next hour mingling and interacting with the guests at the party. In actuality, they were simply the rich folk of Ardua who were able to attend such social events. Lords, ladies, dukes, and duchesses with their family members were all gathered round at the ball. In total, there were many, many guests. However, mingled among them were servants, all of the middle and lower classes in society. They were the secret ears in the castle, the invisible people among those visible. But most of them never minded their position just because most of the castle members were respected and kind people. And certainly, many never stayed too long. Still, there were never  _too_  many servants around who had not gone through the screening process which decided if they were allowed to enter the castle.

In the second hour, the music began to play and soon everyone was pairing up to dance. Kanda found himself saddled with Ida—he had been talking to her a minute before the music started (more like she sidled up to  _him_ ) and so he had no choice but to ask her for a dance as it was required from him.

"Prince you are so kind. And such a wonderful place you live in." Ida said gracefully, fluttering her eyelashes at Kanda as they danced together.

"I am glad to know you think that of me. I hope to visit your own home one day in my life." Kanda responded politely, his mind rejecting the words coming out of his mouth. He really wished that she would go through the rest of the dance in silence. Thankfully, she did, but she held Kanda's unwilling hand in a firm grip for another two dances. During those dances, he caught glimpses of Beatrice on the dance floor with many other partners who asked it of her, and of Timothy who danced with the teenaged daughters of the rich citizens there.

Before Ida could ask Kanda for another dance, she found herself next to Beatrice and the young lord she was currently dancing with. She hadn't yet realized that Kanda had maneuvered them to this exact position—she only thought it an annoying coincidence.

"Excuse me," Kanda says politely to the young lad before Ida can say a word. "If I may have a dance with my sister?"

"But of course." The young lad bows, recovering from his surprise and gracefully releases Beatrice's hand and taking the hand of Ida that Kanda had detached from him moments before. Ida mentally fumed as she was forced to dance with a stranger when she had her ideal in her grasp. However, as befitting her status, she danced gracefully with the man, focusing her current attention on him and learning as much as she could from him. After all, it is always good to have connections.

Kanda and Beatrice moved farther and farther away from the other pair in their dance.

"Had enough?" Beatrice asked bemusedly.

"Yes. It was a good thing I spotted you, or . . ." Kanda didn't complete that sentence and he didn't have to because they both knew his train of thought.

"And you?" He asked, out of politeness with only the slightest hint of curiosity.

"Oh, I'm doing well. I haven't exactly danced with a stranger, but it has been a while since I met these people." Beatrice admitted.

They danced to the rest of the song in silence, and as the ending came, Kanda passed his sister to Timothy nearby and directed Timothy's partner to another. After this, he vanished into the crowd, leaving his siblings together as the next song started, happy and upbeat.

"I saw him dance with  _her_  three times, Bea, did you see?" Timothy exclaimed in wonder.

"Yep. I saw it alright." Beatrice replied wryly. "Such an amazing brother we have, don't you agree, Timothy?"

"I want to be even cooler than Kanda-nii when I'm older!" Timothy declared, and Beatrice chuckled at that.

"Good luck with that. Although I doubt that you will go through too much trouble in achieving your goal."

"Hey! I know I'll be more awesome than him, and keep my personality to boot!"

Beatrice laughed. "I can't wait to see that day." She commented.

The song ended, and before another one started up, a different young lad came over to them. "If I may have this dance, my lady?" He held out his hand to Beatrice and she took it with a smile.

"Certainly," she replied to the man, and then looked at her brother. "I'll see you later then."

Timothy watched as his sister was led away by the handsome man. He was tall and blonde, his eyes a gentle green color, his white suit fitting his body perfectly and Timothy knew that this man's his smile was what had caught Beatrice's eye. Timothy's eyes narrowed as they got farther away—there was something about that man that he didn't like, but he couldn't put a finger on it. No matter, Timothy knew what he was going to do during the next dance: discreetly spy on his sister. Sure, it wasn't the best thing to do, but it was his sister after all, dancing with someone who he felt was strange. Maybe it was his imagination, but Timothy certainly didn't want to face himself or his brother if he happened to be right about this guy who seemed to charm his sister easily.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda stared impassively at the mob of guests at the welcome ball hosted for the princess. He hated these events more than ever as they had slowly increased in the past year. He had had to deal with the rich women who were interested in only his wealth and his appearance. So as to not soil his family's royal name, he had to be the polite and charming prince that everyone thought he was. He felt himself suffocating in this role, the crowded room stifling. The only good part of his princely role was that he truly was of a solitary nature, and that everyone knew at least that small fact about him. This allowed him to have his space, and as a prince, he could certainly keep others waiting at a reasonable time. Still, he never enjoyed these parties and often used the advantages that his status gave him.

A flash of red caught his eye and without thinking, he moved his hand slightly, motioning the figure over. It was Lavi, he knew, Lavi posing as a butler and mingling among the people, blending in as a servant and nothing more. Kanda envied his ability to just  _slip away_  from the event, to physically  _escape_  from a situation when he felt uncomfortable but never showed it. His dark eyes watched Lavi move through the sea of people to reach him and it was only a minute later when the redhead stopped.

"Care for a drink, Your Highness?" Lavi's voice was velvet as he offered the tray of half-full wineglasses to Kanda.

"Che." Kanda reached out and took the glass from the tray, swirling it in his hand. "How long do you think this party will last?"

Lavi chuckled, an infuriating noise to Kanda's ears at the moment. "A long, long while, of course."

"I've been in here for three hours." A statement.

"It would be wiser to stay through two more." Careful advice.

"That's ridiculous." He took a sip from his glass.

"But required."

A silence fell between them and the volume of noise rose around them.

"No longer than one."

"I can nudge company towards you." An offer.

"Che." The customary response.

A smile grew on Lavi's face. "Care for some food?"

Kanda shook his head, he didn't feel hungry, only tired and bored. But Lavi took this as a signal and winked (more like blinked) at him, taking his leave quickly.

It didn't take long for Lavi to return and to bring someone else along as well. This time, Lavi's hand held a platter of appetizers and behind him was Beatrice, free at last from the suitors that pursued her as avidly as Kanda's own. "Your Highnesses, I think I'll leave this to you." He set the tray down on the table beside Kanda's chair and left them, privately giving Kanda a wink that actually looked like a wink instead of a strange and out-of-place blink.

Kanda ignored him and turned to his sister who decided to take a seat beside the food so that the tray was in-between them. The silence was comfortable and they spent time in the partially shrouded corner eating the appetizers Lavi had handed them and watching the guests of their party mingle about in a chaotic yet ordered manner. They spent half an hour like this, resting, when Kanda noticed his sister become alert. Following her gaze, his own eyes landed on a blonde man dressed in white. Immediately, questions ran through his head, from who the stranger was and to why his sister was  _alert_  to him, even if she didn't quite know it yet.

"Brother," Beatrice stood suddenly, "I think I shall make my appearance again. This way, they do not suspect too much of your own missing presence." She moved away from him then after his gruff comment of "whatever". But his dark eyes followed her, suspicion in his mind.

Minutes later, Timothy was suddenly beside him, but Kanda didn't mind his brother's appearance. "What is it?" He said, knowing something was on his brother's mind.

"It's Bea, nii-san. I don't like the guy she's with."

Immediately, Kanda was alert, his main attention on Timothy while another part of it was in the crowd where he knew his sister was in. "What about him?" He asked this in a light tone, and Timothy paled slightly, perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned it? But Kanda would've found out sooner or later.

"Well, he seems like a pretty decent guy, but I dunno, there's just something about this guys that  _bugs_  me. And I don't know why." Timothy let out in a rush, finally relieving himself of his suspicions to his brother. It felt good to confide in someone else, and he was glad that Kanda didn't dismiss his suspicions like his parents would have.

"Watch him then." Kanda finally said, and Timothy pouted.

"That's what I was doing for the past hour!"

Kanda ignored that. " _Watch him_ ," he repeated to his brother with narrow eyes. " _Discreetly_ , understand?"

Timothy nodded, disappointed that there was nothing else for him to do.

Kanda continued. "If anything happens,  _tell_  me.  _Immediately_."

"What if I can't find you?" Kanda's disappearances were widely known to his family. Especially if there was a potential bride over in the castle.

There was half a second of hesitation, before Kanda let fall a name from his lips. "Lavi, then."

"If  _he's_  busy?" Timothy pressed. They all knew Lavi always answered to Bookman and that he could be as difficult to find as Alma and sometimes, they only found him because he had  _let_ himself be found.

Kanda pursed his lips. "Tsukikami and Bookman."

"Gotcha." Timothy rose from his seat and left then, knowing that Kanda wouldn't say another word because there were few people in the world that Kanda trusted beside his siblings. Timothy didn't need Kanda to dish out all the names—he knew a few of them already and that was enough.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi served drinks and appetizers to the guests, making sure that everyone had some kind of drink or food if they wanted it. He was a part of the crowd and he actively listened to all the conversations around him as he walked by, invisible to those who thought he didn't matter because he was a servant. There was a few who recognized him and he did his best to stay away from those few, because it would ruin the fun he was having in fooling the princess and her advisor. Already, her entourage believed him to be nothing more than an experienced worker in the castle. And from them, he learned much about the princess than had been presented to the Falaron family. Lavi had chuckled to himself at this discovery; she was definitely no "perfect" match for Kanda and certainly  _not_  deserving in any way of his Yuu.

' _Think of the devil and he shall arise_ ', Lavi thought bemusedly as he caught sight of the blonde princess and her advisor. "Ah, Princess Ida, Advisor Mikk, do the two of you care for a refreshment?" He offered to them a glass from his tray and the man took it while the girl ignored it completely. Truly, she was what anyone might have suspected of any high and mighty noble who thought the world was centered around her. Lavi certainly wasn't fooled, but he wasn't about to let them know that.

"Thank you." Lavi's eye flickered upward for a second, surprised at the comment, to find Tyki's golden eyes on him. He quickly cast his eye downwards but gave the two a smile. "I hope the two of you are enjoying the party. Is everything to your liking?"

Ida opened her mouth, but Tyki cut in smoothly, aware of his princess's mood at the moment. "Yes, everything seems amazing." He answered, never taking his eyes of the red-head whom he recalled bumping into during that history lesson. There was something about this young man that intrigued him, and he was surprised, because people hardly  _ever_  intrigued him. So this was a first, definitely.

"How are you?" The question out of his mouth surprised even Ida, and Lavi had no choice but to respond.

"Busy. But I'm pleased that you are enjoying yourself." Lavi smiled then appeared to catch a glance of someone else beyond them. His face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I have to attend to other guests now. Please, continue to enjoy the party." He bowed, turned away from them, and walked off into the crowd. Tyki was left to stare after him until Lavi disappeared from sight and Tyki turned back to Ida who was studying him curiously and with a strange look on her face. ' _Really_ ,' he thought, ' _I must teach her how to be less open with her facial expressions; she is as easy to read as an open book. Well, to me anyway_.' He flashed a smile at her. "Yes, my Princess? Is there anything wrong?"

Ida pursed her lips. "It's nothing. Only," she paused, giving him a inquiring glance, "are you interested in him? That servant boy?"

"Him?" Tyki chuckled. "Don't be silly now. Really, I don't know where you get these kinds of assumptions."

Ida looked as if she would say more, but Tyki downed his glass of wine and set it down on some other servant's tray. "Why don't we go look for your lover-boy instead of dallying around here?" He suggested and Ida's mind immediately took off.

"Come on, then." Ida elegantly glided into the crowd and Tyki followed a step behind her.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"My dear, I think tonight has been a success!" King Leonard exclaimed to his wife in one of the rooms by the ballroom.

"Of course it is, my dear." Queen Etsuko said, leaning towards the mirror and applying a fresh coat of lipstick to her lips. It was a reddish-pink color and when she was finished, she capped the stick closed.

"Darling, Princess Ida is such a lovely girl. The other girls were wonderful too, but I think she may be the one for our Yuu." King Leonard adjusted the crown atop his head and tugged at the cloth of his outfit.

Kanda had escaped from the pressure of the ball and was now walking down the quiet halls towards his rooms. His parents' voices and his name made him stop by the door he was previously going to pass and he listened to them intently. Even though he had a great respect for his parents, (especially his mother), and would never eavesdrop on them, he felt that this discussion was vital to his future. So he stopped and pressed his ear close.

"Oh? What makes you say so? That's what you said about the other visiting ladies." This was said dryly as she fanned herself lightly.

"I know what I see. She is such a lovely girl-"

"You've said that already."

"-and I think she should just be given a chance. Besides, I think our Yuu's heart will heal quite well with her help-"

"What makes you think he needs help?"

Kanda smirked a little at his mother's outspokenness. Of course she would never behave this way in public and certainly never had in her own home, but her husband's own outgoing personality was growing on her, and hence the interruptions. He nearly gasped at his father's next words, he hardly ever heard his father raise his voice to his mother before.

"Would you stop interrupting me for a second, woman?" His voice had been raised and she raised her brow at him in return. He used her silence to finish his thoughts. "I think, no, I am  _sure_ , that our Yuu secretly likes Ida and given time they will become very happy together. Which is why, even though he may seem angry or irritated at our news, we must be firm and not give in. After her three-month stay with us, I am sure that they will push for marriage without our prompting!"

Kanda could not believe his ears. His father had arranged for Ida to stay for three months at their castle? In his home? But . . . when she had first arrived at the castle, his father had only said she would stay for a week or two, not three months! Then, this made Kanda's father a liar. The revelation froze him. His father, a liar? So, he was someone that Kanda could no longer trust then. But turning his attention back to the conversation, Kanda remembered his mother and feverently prayed for her to see sense and stop his father's madness before it affected them all.

But his mother must have felt regret at how she had spoken to his father earlier, for she said, "Do you really think so?"

And Kanda knew that if he stayed at this castle, his future would be doomed. He detached himself from the wall and the door, not bothering to stay for the rest of his parents' discussion. As his feet silently lead him away to his room, his thoughts ran wild in his head.

' _How could they_?' He thought. ' _I've always been extremely polite because I am a prince and was raised this way, but . . ._ _ **this! Knowingly!**_ _Against_ _ **my**_ _wishes!_ ' Kanda felt himself becoming angrier and angrier until he was a ball of raging fire. He entered his room, and slammed the door, knowing the sound would echo through the halls but not caring because the party was really loud and with the open vents in the ball room, enough sound would carry to cover the slamming of his door.

He tossed himself on his bed, but quickly got off it. He began to pace as his anger would not let him sit still, at least not until this red-hot anger cooled down into a cold-blue flame within him. From pacing, he switched to practicing his sword stances. That always helped him think better.

His parents liked Ida. He hated Ida. Ida was staying with him. He would be forced to marry her. Bea and Tim might eventually like her. But he hated her, and that advisor of hers creeped him out as well. Her voice was annoying. She was so fake. He hated liars. But he would be forced to stay with her until the end of his life. He would never be able to go out into the world. He would be tied down to the crown. He would be chained, not free. Free to search and seek out the whereabouts of his beloved older brother. Alma. Alma had also been tied down, Kanda knew it though he never spoke of it; they were like each other in that way. But Alma was no longer tied down. Because he was no longer here.

The thought froze Kanda in his tracks. It ran over in his mind again. That was it! That was the solution. Kanda was calm now, deadly calm, like the calm before the storm. His anger was no longer red but blue as it should always be. He had a plan and he would execute it. But when? Tonight? He nodded, thinking it over. Yes, before anyone notices, before they can notice, before they suspect anything. That conversation had been the last straw for him and now he was packing up everything essential for his trip in a bag.

Kanda walked to the door when he was done and opened it, about to step forward but stopped, surprise etched onto his face.

Lavi stood before him, and Kanda already knew that the other guessed his plan after seeing the bag he carried in his hand. Nevertheless, he had to ask.

"What'cha doing Yuu?" His voice was soft.

"Leaving." Kanda's face has already been schooled back into its cold and uncaring mask, taking the surprise out of his expression.

"Now?"

"What does it look like?" Kanda moved to step past Lavi.

"Well, I hope you weren't planning on leaving me behind Yuu."

He stopped, and gave Lavi a questioning glance.

Lavi feigned a hurt expression. "Yuu, I'm shocked! After all we've been through, you were planning to leave me like everyone else? We're best friends!"

Kanda glared at Lavi. "Well, I wasn't planning it, it just happened." He narrowed his eyes at the red-head. "How the hell did you know about this if even  _I_  didn't know about this?" He demanded.

Lavi gave him a cheeky grin. "Yuu, I'll always know what happens to you." There was complete confidence in his voice. "Besides! Yuu needs me!"

"What makes you think that?"

"'Cause you obviously don't know where the hell you're going and that will make you an easy bait to find. Ya stick out like a sore thumb and ya don't have the appropriate connections that I do."

Kanda scowled.

"So, I'm going with you, whether you like it or not! Wait for me by your courtyard. I'll be back in an hour."

"Half an hour."

"But-"

"Half."

Kanda's insistence left Lavi no room to argue, well not unless he wanted Yuu to actually leave without him. He gave Kanda a cheeky smile. "Half an hour then. And don't even  _think_  about leavin' without me, Yuu, or I'll tell  _ **ev**_ _erybody_  where you went!" Lavi wagged a finger at Kanda before dashing off to gather his stuff.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Oh look, there's Mom and Dad." Beatrice said, pointing out their parents to her nine-year-old brother.

He rolled his eyes. "I can see them." He told his sister, and then squinted at his parents. "Do they seem kinda too happy or something?"

"Our parents drunk?" Beatrice sounded horrified at the thought. "Never."

Timothy scowled. "I never said that. And when is this party going to end anyway?" He yawned. "I'm getting tired."

Beatrice looked down at him. "Yes, it is quite late already. I'm surprised that Mother hasn't already sent you to bed or told Tsukikami to take you there."

"Dunno. Should we ask?" Timothy held in another yawn. Although he knew his siblings often envied him for being young enough to leave fancy parties early, he did not want to go to sleep later than his sister this night. He didn't like the fact that she had danced with that man five times during the night, and was certain that if he was not there to watch over his older sibling, she would be with that man again. And there was no way he would allow that to happen. Although there was nagging question in his head: where was Yuu-nii? Timothy hadn't seen him since the last time they had spoken at the party. And he wished his older brother was there to keep an eye on his sister, because he knew that Beatrice would  _never_  do anything that Kanda showed even  _slight_  hint of disapproval towards. Neither would  _he_ , for that matter, but that was beside the point.

"Let's go drink some punch." Beatrice said, tugging her brother towards the table. "Perhaps Mother and Father wanted you to simply enjoy such a night during your childhood. I'm sure there's nothing wrong."

' _I certainly hope so_.' Timothy thought walking alongside his sister.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

In his room, Lavi picked up a satchel full of clothes and other items. He had packed it many days before hand, suspecting that soon, Kanda would snap and simply run away from everything, disappearing like his older brother had long, long ago. He was glad that he had been on the right track and thus prepared for the moment when it came.

He exited the room and headed for one of the castle's side kitchens. There were few people bustling in and out of them—mainly everyone was assigned to the main kitchen staff. Without anyone's notice, Lavi snuck in and stole a sack full of food, the action taking him little more than ten minutes.

That done, Lavi headed for the Master Swordsmith's forge. His footsteps were quiet, and even though it was quite dark in the forge, Lavi had been there enough times to know his way around. Feeling around and stepping gingerly, Lavi stopped at a table.

"Aha! There you are!" Lavi's arm reached down and picked up a sword, admiring it in the single beam of moonlight that penetrated the cave. "Now, just to find the other one. . ." Rummaging around, Lavi found the small hammer behind the shields and took it, taking his leave.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda kept glancing up at the moon. What was taking that damned rabbit so long? Surely it had been past an hour already? Kanda felt a scowl emerge on his face, along with an emotion he could only label as nervousness. He had planned to be gone before anyone noticed and not get caught. But now-

Before he could finish that thought, a soft voice penetrated the silence.

"Yuu?"

Kanda breathed a sigh of relief. "Here, you idiot."

Locking onto his voice, Lavi immediately walked over to Kanda. "There you are!" The moon overhead was almost straight, indicating that midnight was coming. "For a minute I thought you'd left already. Sorry for making you wait."

"Che. You took too long."

"Hey, I did not! And at least I'm here, right?"

"Tch. Let's just go. Now."

Quickly and quietly, the two stole away from the castle using the secret path only they knew. They continued, walking in the dark as the moon hung high overhead, illuminating their path. The castle grew smaller and farther from them as they trudged on steadily, making no noise but soft footfalls along the dry dirt path where many feet had trodden on.

_**~x.x.x.x.x~** _

**A/N:**  There you have it: more interactions with the characters. It seems like I'm making Beatrice and Timothy mere followers of Kanda, huh? But, they are that and their very own person. Anyway, the true adventure has just begun! Please read and review-all sorts of feedback are appreciated!

Thanks to Yuerai, Ninja Mafia Mistress, anon, and Yuu13 for reviewing the last chapter!

 **Yuerai:**  Thanks for giving this story a chance! I hope that this chapter satisfies you!

 **Ninja Mafia Mistress:**  Thanks for your review! I really appreciated knowing what you would've have liked to happen—that helped me increase the length of the chapter and gave me more ideas to work with! You were plenty of help!

 **anon:**  Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the concept!

 **Yuu13:** Thank you for supporting this story! And yes, Kanda and Lavi belong to each other.


	5. Witchling of the Haunted House and Confusion at the Castle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, today is August 10th, Lavi's birthday and the end of the LaviYuu Festival! Happy Birthday Lavi!

Kanda and Lavi walked for a long time. While they walked, Kanda noticed that Lavi kept muttering under his breath. After a while, he spoke up, asking what Lavi was doing.

"Oh, just using some protective spells to block tracking spells. It gives you the result of no detection." Lavi explained. Suddenly he stopped, rummaging around in his bag. Then he proudly produced a long object to Kanda. It was familiar silhouette and Kanda felt himself take a shuddering breath of amazement and disbelief.

"Mugen?" Kanda looked from the sword to Lavi's grinning face in the moonlight. "How did you get him? Usually, Mugen is in the Royal Treasury. Did you break in?" Kanda looked at him suspiciously.

Lavi's grin spread even wider. "Nah. Old man Zhu was polishing it up and adding some final touches. Since he wasn't going to use it, I took it. Besides, it's your sword anyway! Meant for you and all that. Do you really want me to give it back?"

Kanda mentally admitted that there was no wish in his heart for such a thing to happen. Aloud, he grunted. "I want  _go_ , not get caught, baka usagi." He rolled his eyes. "Going back now would be suicide." He shot Lavi a small smile. "Thanks."

Lavi grinned. "Great! Let's go!" They moved forward.

They passed the first two towns closest to the castle and reached the third one after some time. Although it was midnight, some people were still up, indicated by the lights from within the surrounding buildings. Lavi took the lead here, walking straight up to a shop that was still lit up and knocking softly on it.

"What are you doing?" Kanda hissed quietly, eyes darting around, alert.

Lavi gave a low laugh. "Relax. It's cool." Before Kanda could argue, they heard the scrape of a chair being pushed back on the wooden floor and then padded footsteps were approaching them. A moment later, the door opened, revealing a young woman's face.

She had a scowl on her face, her mouth open and ready to say something sharp, but the shock of Lavi's red hair in her spilled light made her pause uncertainly. "Lavi?" she asked, confusion and disbelief in her tone. That changed quickly as she asserted that it was indeed him, standing in front of her doorway at midnight.

"Heya Fou." Lavi greeted with a smile.

Fou merely scowled. "What do you want? And why the hell are you out here at midnight?" Her tone was irritated.

"Hey, hey. Easy now," Lavi said quietly. "We wouldn't want to wake up your neighbors now, would we?"

Fou only shook her head tiredly. "Eh, whatever. What do you want?"

"Can we come in? I think we're attracting attention."

"We?" Fou squinted in the gloom and suddenly saw another figure in darkness behind Lavi. "Bookman?"

Lavi laughed lightly. "Not exactly. He's busy with something else. If you let us in, you'll have the grand pleasure of meeting someone real interesting."

Fou shrugged. "Aw whatever. You're already here anyway, so why not?" She moved aside for him and he stepped inside with Kanda following warily. As soon as he was through, Fou closed the door and took a good look at him. Her eyes widened when she recognized him. He scowled in response and she raised her eyebrow at him before stepping before leading them deeper into the shop. They passed through shelves of books and entered a simple room with a round desk and four chairs around it, lit by a small overhead lamp.

"Sit, sit." Fou said, sitting down and motioning them to do so as well. "So," she drawled, eyeing them after they sat, "what brings the two of you to my humble adobe?" She turned her gaze onto the prince with sharpened eyes. "Especially you, Kanda." Fou leaned back. "I mean, it's not like I really mind or anything, because it's nice to talk to someone besides the Bookmen crew here, but I will assume this isn't a social visit. What I want to know," here she leaned forward with her hands linked together in front of her, elbows on the table, "is whether or not I will be in serious trouble if they find that the two of you were here recently." She fixated them with her stare.

Lavi broke the tension and grinned. "Yup. You got it alright."

Fou narrowed her eyes at them, but soon leaned back in her chair, sighing in defeat. "So what is it now? Are you trying to hide from a horrendous crime? Or did you just need a break away from the castle?"

Lavi laughed. "Ah yeah. Something like that. Yup." He nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with his reason. "A trip that nobody knows about, for now, anyway. So how 'bout it? Want to help us out?"

Fou looked at them. "How do you propose I help?" Her fingertips drummed on the tabletop rhythmically.

"Easy. We'll just need a couple of maps and a culture book from you. Nothing too serious, and definitely nothing too big to be missed." Lavi answered.

"That's easy enough, I suppose." Fou stood. "Come with me to the backroom then. That's where you'd find most of the maps currently not on sale." Lavi followed her out while Kanda sat there, unmoving. He was busy thinking of how long they had been at Fou's and wondering whether or not the party had already ended. Hopefully, his family would all just go straight to bed.

Fou walked back into the room, and Kanda noted the absence of Lavi's presence. "So," she began, taking a seat, "I haven't seen you in a while. How's life in the castle going?"

Kanda grunted in response. "It's suffocating," he admitted. "And I've been too busy to go anywhere outside the castle for leisure." His gaze held an apologetic look.

"Don't mention it. I haven't actually lived your life, but I've read my fair share of fantasy novels. Probably not as much as bookworm over there, but it's certainly kept me occupied." Fou replied. "Also, one thing." She leaned forward, a small gleam in her eye. Kanda raised his brow. "When you return, pay me a visit. I'd like to know that you both came back safely from your endeavors. Not to mention, you can always come here to take a break when you decide you need. Of course, this is all after your return." Fou stated, and Kanda gave her a small smile. "But of course." He replied.

They both glanced at the doorway when they heard the shuffling footsteps and Lavi appeared, slightly disheveled from comparing the maps in Fou's backroom. "I'm baack~!" He declared with a grin. "Thanks Fou. C'mon Yuu—we'd best be off now." Lavi walked past them out of the room, and they stood and followed.

"Where will you go?" Fou asked as they made their way past the shelves in her store.

"It's probably best if you didn't know." His answer came back, but not unkindly.

"Come to this room then." She made a left, entering a room and they followed her into it. It was plain but hardly bare—like the other rooms, it held books. They noted a bed on it, covered with a soft blue blanket that was decorated in white, snow-like patterns. Lavi and Kanda exchanged a look. This room must've belonged to Bak, why he wasn't here was a mystery.

"Here." She threw open the window which was big enough for the both of them to climb through. "As you must know, it faces the woods. I'm guessing you don't want the entire town to note your presence, so it'd be best that you leave this way.

"Thanks Fou. You're the best." Lavi said, the first one to climb out. Kanda followed soon after, but not before reassuringly give Fou a look that said, ' _He'll be back. You'll see_.'

As soon as they were out of sight, Fou closed the window, and looked around the room, allowing a small and sad smile to grace her face as she recalled the man who was so dear to her, but had left without a word or a trace on one sunny autumn day. She left the room, flicking the lights off as she walked by, and closed the room, encasing its contents in darkness.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda and Lavi wandered through the woods while listening to the night air and the world of night's sounds surrounding them. Surprisingly, Kanda broke the silence first, with a soft question. "Do you think that Fou will be okay?"

Lavi looked up at the sky encased by leaves. "Yeah. I'm sure that she will, Yuu."

They didn't add anything after that, just kept walking through the forest, Kanda following Lavi as they made their way through these silent but not menacing woods. It was a gentle wood, and they kept walking at a comfortable pace.

But even then, their trip seemed long and weary. Two hours had passed, and Kanda was beginning to consider sleeping in the woods. But he needed to know where they were and that was impossible in this forest.

"Hey, where are we now?" Kanda asked.

"Well, probably a couple of fair miles from the castle, that's for sure." Lavi looked back at him. "We  _do_  walk pretty quickly you know."

"Should we get out of the woods?"

"If we can find a path."

They did find a path, and it indeed led them out of the forest. It was open road from here and they walked on it, glad for the moon's light above them. Soon, they saw a house, after hours of seeing none, and decided to stay the night. Upon inspection, it was an old and abandoned house, and it was unlikely that anyone would come snooping around.

"Hello?" Lavi's voice echoed in the dark and empty house. "Anybody home?"

Kanda snorted. "Idiot. You just said it was an abandoned house."

"Oh yeah. Right." Lavi rubbed the back of his head. "Just checking."

They eventually found some bedrooms upstairs, and after claiming their room, Lavi and Kanda both fell asleep on the soft mattresses.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

They awoke to chuckling and found themselves not on comfortable beds but each sitting on a hard chair bound to it by rope.

"What the—" Lavi's confusion was voiced.

"Untie us at once!" Kanda snarled.

All this was directed to a young girl on a chair more elaborately adorned than theirs. She had dark skin, short and spiky purple hair that covered her forehead and golden orbs as color in her eyes. She wore a simple outfit consisting of a thigh-length black dress accompanied by black and pink striped knee-high socks with black shoes on her feet. And she was currently giggling at their predicament, finding amusement in their cries. Or, to be more precise, threats. Well, at least from Kanda.

"Who are you?" Lavi asked, strangely calm.

"And what do you want from us?" Kanda added.

Her eyes studied them, and then she shrugged. "Well it's your fault you know. Entering someone's home without their permission." She made a clucking noise with her tongue at them.

"No one answered when we knocked." Lavi explained.

She ignored the comment. "Has it occurred to you that it's past midnight, a time when a normal person is asleep?" Not that she usually slept nor was she normal. But they didn't need to know that piece of information.

The girl got off her chair and walked to them, stopping mere inches away. "What's your names?"

"Lavi and that's Kanda." Lavi replied, receiving a scathing glance from his dark-haired companion. "And who do we have the pleasure of addressing?"

She giggled. "You can call me Road." Out of seemingly nowhere, a lollipop appeared in her hand and she twirled it playfully. "And the two of you are going to play a game with me." She gave them a feral grin. "It's called: Get to the exit as fast as you can. Because the two of you are going to be chased by a rather large candy man!"

They stared at her in disbelief. "You see up there?" She asked, pointing upwards and ignoring their stares. They followed the finger and saw a large, ornate, and impossible-to-miss red-and-black checkered door, in the shape of a keyhole. Where had that come from? "That's the exit. And over there-" she pointed in a different direction and they looked to their right. "-will have a very large candy man. He will eat you if you let him, and that's also when he catches you."

"You're joking." Kanda said, and Road made a tutting noise at him, waggling a finger back and forth.

"Uh-uh-uh!" She said gleefully, too gleeful for Kanda's liking. "You're in my world now, my world of Dreams, and the only rules that exist are the ones I make up!" An umbrella floated towards her and she hopped on, snapping her fingers when she was safely on it. The ropes holding Kanda and Lavi disappeared, as did the chairs. Somewhere to their right, a beast roared, sending chills down their spine.

"Let the game begin!" As suddenly as she had appeared, Road disappeared, leaving Kanda and Lavi alone.

"So, do we believe her?" Lavi questioned.

But before Kanda could reply, a loud thudding sound came from their right. Distinctly it sounded like footsteps.

"Perhaps we should just get to the door…" Lavi said, quickly making his way to the stairs. Kanda followed without a word, eager to get out, and not willing to stay and find out what monster Road had created for this "game" that she was making them play.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

They were halfway up the stairs when the monster burst into the area below them. It was a strange sight, one that made them pause. This was because it was quite literally, made of candy, and was in the form of large man with fangs for teeth and ran on all four of its limbs. It was made out of every type of candy imaginable. Hard candy, soft candy, red candy, blue candy. In fact, it held candies the colors of the rainbow! But not as much as the color pink, Lavi and Kanda noted, disturbed. Though it had many colors on it, pink was the most current and dominant color. The creature lifted up its head from the ground and stood on its two legs, sniffing the air using its red peppermint candy nose. Sniff, sniff. Kanda and Lavi tried to remain calm and not give off the scent of fear. However, the creature spotted them quite quickly and began to run towards them. Immediately the two raced up the stairs, running and running. The candy creature down below fell forward on its arms and began to ascend the stairs after them. Reaching the top, Kanda and Lavi found themselves staring at a blank wall.

"What?" Kanda was shocked. "What happened to the door?"

Before Lavi could answer, a laugh echoed all around them. It came from above them, and looking up, the two saw Road floating overhead. "Where's the door?" Kanda demanded.

"Just putting the door there is just way too easy!" Road declared. "That's why I made it move around, just for fun! I rather think it adds to the challenge, don't you?" She giggled in a way Kanda found extremely irritating. "So, when you find it, you have a total of ten seconds to go through it before it moves again! A wonderful idea, don't you think?" She moved in a circle above them, and before Kanda could shout some terrible insults at her, Lavi pulled him aside by the arm.

"That monster is still on the stairs, remember? Anyway, the sooner we find that door, the faster we can get out of here."

Kanda nodded at Lavi's logic. "Come on!" They dashed away down the corridor as they heard the monster's roar not far behind them.

"Teehee! Good luck!" Road called loudly after them. Then, darkly, she muttered, "And we'll see how long you'll fare in my world!" She cackled suddenly, before sticking a lollipop in her mouth and turning invisible, flying after Lavi and Kanda to watch their progress.

What happened next was much like a Scooby-Doo episode. The two humans ran from the monster that chased them and shot candy at them. Several times they found the door, but before they could get to it in time, the monster appeared and drove them to a different direction or shot candy at them, forcing them away from the door.

"This isn't going to work." Lavi said to Kanda, as they were running from the monster that foiled their chances for the tenth time.

"I agree." Kanda unsheathed the sword at his side. "We should fight." He came to a stop and Lavi skidded to a halt beside him.

"I hardly think  _fighting_  will help us." Lavi objected _. 'That's because I think this place is enchanted with_ her _magic. But I don't have too much proof.'_

Kanda shot him an irritated look. "How do you know if you haven't tried it yet?" Defiantly, Kanda calmly turned around to face the monster that they knew was running behind them. It hadn't caught up to them yet, but if they didn't budge, it would catch up to them quite soon. "For all we know, it'll be quite weak."

"And if it isn't?" Kanda didn't get a chance to answer Lavi's question for the monster appeared.

"Then I'll just cut it down until it is no more!" Kanda yelled as he rushed forward, charging at the beast, which now had the form of a tiger.

"I should've known that he was going to fight soon." Lavi muttered under his breath and ran after Kanda, pulling out his newly acquired hammer from his side. "I've got your back!" He said in a louder voice.

Kanda had engaged the candy tiger monster in combat, slicing it apart several times only for it to reform. Lavi came from the side and swung his rather large hammer into its side as it was reforming itself, but that did little to help. He leapt back to Kanda as the candy formed a fist to swing at him. It became a man again, but was taller than before, towering over them and had a candy sword to fight them off. Together, Lavi and Kanda charged at it. Kanda sliced through the hard candy shield and was able to get to the body where he sliced it apart in chunks. Lavi proceeded to swing his hammer in a circle above him, sending the candy out and away to prevent it from reforming again. He succeeded, but the part that was fighting Kanda reached over and kicked him away, leaving Kanda alone. However, since Kanda was the stronger of the two, the monster had made the wrong choice, and got KOed by Kanda.

Sheathing his sword, Kanda looked back at where Lavi had hit the wall, and smirked at the latter. "Told you."

Lavi stood and dusted himself off and walked over to Kanda. "Fine, you were right. Now let's find the door and get out of here!"

"Right." They left the hall of scattered candy, unaware of the eyes watching them from above.

They wandered around, looking for and finding the door of Road's that was named as the exit point. However, every time, the door was too far away for them to get to in time before it disappeared. Thus they spent too much time looking for a way to get closer to the door.

"I have an idea." Lavi said, and Kanda motioned with his hand for him to get on with it. "Perhaps if I can use a spell on the door to freeze it for a moment, we would be able to get through."

"Tch. It's as good as any. How soon can you do it?"

"Right away."

"Good. Let's go."

Very soon, they found the door, and they charged at it, trying to reach it quickly.

 _One_. They passed the potted plants.

 _Two, Three_. Their feet across the tiled floors.

 _Four_. Lavi's hand stretched out before him, his finger pointing at the door.

 _Five, Six_. "Time stop, freeze that door in its tracks!" He shouted.

 _Seven_. The door was encased in a crackled of blue sparks, shuddering. "Keep going!" Lavi instructed Kanda.

 _Eight_. They were now in front of the door, and Lavi shoved it open with both hands, Kanda jumping through with him. They landed on grass; the two of them now out in open sky.

"Where are we?" Lavi asked, looking around them.  _Nine_. Behind them, the door shuddered, and closed.

They looked at it in anticipation.  _Ten_. The elaborate checkered door disappeared from their sight, and they were left alone in the expansion of grass, the only thing surrounding them being green, yellow, brown, and black. Surprisingly enough, it was still night and tired out by the prior events, Lavi and Kanda quickly fell asleep beside each other in the open field surrounded by nothing but the gentle swishing of the breeze that flowed around them.

Away, in her own dimension of Dreams, Road stared at her door, which was shaking off the last of the blue sparks that danced on it. "Interesting. Very, very interesting."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The ball ended nearly an hour or two after midnight, and after they saw the guests out of their castle, the king and queen retired to their chambers. Ida, Beatrice, and Timothy also fell asleep in their own rooms as soon as their head hit the pillow—so tiring the events had been that evening. The few servants who were off-duty during the ball were put into action, cleaning up the entire room, and the servants who were on duty at the time took the opportunity to get some sleep. The kitchen staff had their own clean-up schedule and managed their duties quite well. No one had noticed any missing persons, except for perhaps Bookman, since he did not hear Lavi's rather loud "Good night" when he went into bed. It was unlikely that his disciple had fallen asleep so quickly, as he often was a bundle of energy during the day and night, staying up because he wanted to continue his studies or just to have a moment of quiet. But, seeing as his grandson had posed as a servant that night, it was quite possible he was tired from the night's work and fell asleep like so many had after the ball. Bookman dwelt on it no longer and like the others, fell asleep once his head hit the pillow.

The next morning, breakfast began an hour later than usual, and pretty soon, all were seated but for one, Kanda. But, since they were used to Kanda's absences, those at the table (besides Ida) did not mind it too much.

"He must be too tired from last night's ball." Beatrice said for explanation to Ida.

"Ah, but we are all gathered around here." Ida replied. "Surely Prince Kanda is not a fragile being?"

' _Oh, princess, if he heard you, you'd be dead meat! How dare you call him_ fragile _!'_  Beatrice thought, shooting mental daggers at Ida but putting on her face a graceful smile. "Oh, of course not! He's probably just out training, and will indulge us with his presence later."

"Ah, of course." The tension between Ida and Beatrice merely grew thick in the dining room.

"Well, how did you like the ball last night, Princess?" The queen asked politely.

"It was wonderful, Your Majesty." Ida replied and soon afterwards, all conversations ceased, letting them eat in peace.

After breakfast was a day of leisure. Princess Ida was escorted to walk among the garden with Princess Beatrice, Queen Falaron and several maids. Prince Timothy went horseback riding with his father, Tsukikami, Tyki Mikk and several other servants. Bookman was in the library, troubled slightly because he had yet to see any sign of Lavi, but decided to wait until lunch to search for the idiot. He knew that he could always rope in the crown prince to find his apprentice and vice versa if needed.

Lunch came, and yet Kanda was still absent from the table. Beatrice and Timothy exchanged worried glances. Really, to be absent from two meals? Where was Kanda?

"It appears Prince Kanda has not yet arrived . . . Should I not be worried?" Ida asked sweetly.

"Of course not. Perhaps he is on his way." Beatrice replied.

"Perhaps."

Lunch came and went, and Kanda still did not appear. The king reassured Ida that there was nothing to worry about, and they all returned to their previous activities, save for the queen who privately ordered for a subtle searching of her son's location before she left to join her daughter and guest in the garden. The king rode on his majestic stallion all across the courtyard for the horses, not showing the anger that he felt towards his son; Kanda should know better than to frivolously go around—he had a duty as the crown prince. But his mother would surely scold him into submission, even if he did not particularly enjoy listening to his father.

In the garden, the three royal ladies drifted away from each other, occupied with their own thoughts. Peering around to see if she was alone, Beatrice motioned for two of her maids to follow her and for them to keep a lookout. The last one of them would stay in the garden to cover for her. Leaving the gardens, Beatrice headed to the library where she knew that Bookman and Lavi could be found. Entering, she was surprised to see one of her mother's maids there conversing with Bookman. Noticing her entrance, Bookman and the maid turned towards her.

"Ah, Princess." Bookman said. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if I could perhaps talk to Lavi." Beatrice replied smoothly. "Or if you have perhaps seen my brother, Kanda."

"Ah, no, I have not seen either of the two, as I was just telling this young lady here." Bookman replied. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, just that I haven't seen my brother for a while, but I'm sure that he'll show up soon." Beatrice turned to leave, her maids and her mother's maid behind her.

"Glad to be of help." Bookman said mildly as they left. But as soon as they were gone, Bookman could not help but be worried as well. For upon earlier inquiry, none of the staff could say that they had seen the cheerful redhead that morning, nor could they place a finger on the solitary prince of the castle. Bookman deduced that it would soon be time for magic.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

It was soon found out that Kanda had left the castle. This news was hushed all around the castle, from servant to servant, but not passed outside the castle walls. Queen Etsuko was in a stony rage, completely devastated by the news. This was because Alma and Yuu were her two favorite children, and both had run away due to their father's constant push for their marriage. Of course, she loved her youngest two children as well, but her eldest two were more like her than their father. They had adapted to the Japanese culture more readily and quickly than the other two had and it was no lie that she felt slightly more comfortable with them around than when she was with her husband and youngest two kids, who were more like their father.

When they were young, the four siblings were all cheerful and outgoing but as they grew older they steadily became more reserved, something that their mother prided in because she loved her own culture. Beatrice and Timothy seemed more comfortable following their father's ways than their mother, but Queen Etsuko was fine with that, because she had noticed that they were already following their older siblings. Beatrice and Timothy followed Alma and Yuu everyday waking day, seemingly desperate for attention and approval from their amazing older brothers whom they respected a great deal. Of course they were affected when he left—and Yuu the most, because he had been the closest to Alma.

Queen Etsuko had held deep in her heart the hope that her eldest son would one day return to her, but that has yet to happen. Never would she have thought that Yuu would leave her as well; he became more reserved and took over the spot of eldest, taking care of his siblings more than he already did. At the same time, he taught them how to be independent and to always have strength within them.

Beatrice had observed how Yuu had been strong for her and Timothy during Alma's absence. He had especially been a support for their mother when she was stricken with grief over Alma's absence. Now, she knew that it was her turn to hold the fort down and be strong for Timothy, her youngest brother. But inside, she felt lost. She didn't know what to do, especially since mother had locked herself in the High Tower. She sighed. They usually had Lavi's to help in seeking out Yuu, or Yuu for seeking out Lavi. That had been one of her last hopes in finding her brother. But it became clear that Lavi was also missing, and no one could say for sure that he was with Kanda or not. All Beatrice knew now was that she would have to do her best to take charge as the eldest sibling in the castle just as Yuu had done in place of Alma.

For three days, Queen Etsuko stayed in the High Tower, locked away from everyone. It was only after much persuasion from Beatrice and Timothy that she came down again. But there was a different aura surrounding her. She was still kind as always, but now she was also holding herself back behind an icy demeanor, much like Kanda and Alma. One could easily see the resemblance between the three. She was cold towards her king, putting the fault of Kanda's disappearance on his head alone.

But, Queen Etsuko was taking the matter of searching for her son seriously. Search parties were being formed. The hunt for the missing crown prince and possibly his red-headed bodyguard was on.

_**~x.x.x.x.x~** _

**A/N:** Hey so it's Lavi's birthday and another chapter for me! Unfortunately, I don't know when my next chapter will be posted up because school will start soon. And I also have to work on my Teen Titans fic as well. Thanks to all those who reviewed in the last chapter! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Also, please take the time to review!

 **Yuu13:** Hmm, it does seem like that, doesn't it? Oh well, more LaviYuu love! ^_^ Thanks for the review!

 **erihan:** Idon't know too much of Ida's fate right now, but yes, Lavi gets to use magic.

 **scarf:** Thanks! I'm glad that you like it!

 **janrockiss:** Me too! Glad you enjoy it!


	6. Castle Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: June 6th, 2012 – Another chapter for Kanda, also noting and applauding his appearances in the recent manga chapters although the chapters weren't as satisfying.

Tuskikami strode down the hallway in no rush, but was mindful of the time. Earlier he had received a request from Bookman to meet him in the library, but he had no idea what it would be for. Reflecting on it, Tsukikami assumed that it would have to do something with the young junior. Bookman still could not find information on the whereabouts of Lavi from the castle staff, and had been three days since the party with no sign of him or Prince Kanda. The conclusion Tsukikami came to, was obvious: Bookman had decided to take matters into his own hands and wanted his help.

"Ah, Tsukikami." The shorter, elderly man looked up from his desk to look at Tsukikami.

"Hello, Bookman." Tsukikami greeted and took a seat across from Bookman's desk. "What did you call me for?"

"It's my grandson, that idiot has disappeared." Bookman said, immediately cutting to the chase.

Tsukikami mentally complimented himself on getting his deduction right. "Well, we both had suspected as much." He pointed out. "What do you intend to do?"

"Look for him and then give him a good thrashing when I find him." Bookman said darkly. He then sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I'm getting too old for this, Tsukikami. There are so many things I have to do already, and now I have to worry about that idiot running out in the wild with nothing but the clothes on his back. I already checked—he took absolutely nothing with him."

"I wouldn't worry about him too much, Bookman. I'm sure he'll be fine." Tsukikami said reassuringly.

Bookman snorted and then rose from his seat. "Enough's said. Now, let's work some magic."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Using a combination of locater and tracker spells Tsukikami and Bookman were able to find a trail. Following it led them past two towns, only to enter the third, straight up to a book shop. The sign read White Fire Bookshop and without breaking stride Bookman entered the building, Tsukikami following him in.

They were greeted by the owner's voice from the back, and the two were unsurprised, seeing as how her hearing had always been astute.

"How can I help you?" Her bright voice came closer.

"You can tell me where my grandson went." Bookman said flatly, and heard the footsteps pause for a second too long.

"Bookman?" Fou finally appeared at the counter where her two visitors waited. She gave them a smile. "Well, isn't this a surprise. I hadn't expected to see either one of you until the commotion of that ball up at the castle calmed down. So what's up?"

"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" Tsukikami cut in, before Bookman could say a word.

Fou eyed him and shifted a quick glance at the door and window that was beyond them. "We could, but I think that has already been taken care of." Her gaze returned to settle onto Bookman.

He cleared his throat. "Indeed. There is no need for that—I had cast a silence and averting spell on the shop upon our entrance earlier. No one else is in here, correct?" He looked inquiringly at Fou who nodded. "So we may talk. Tell us what you know."

"Can you clarify? I know many things." Fou replied, straightening from the counter.

"The situation is this: Kanda and Lavi are both missing and we have a need to locate them as soon as possible." Tsukikami stated.

"Yes, but how could you not already find them?" She came around the counter and set down two stools. Each graciously took the offered seat while she hopped up on the counter, turning to face them. "You have, after all, magic at your disposal."

"Yes, we do and it has led us here, right to your shop. Why are you hiding, Fou?" Bookman asked sternly. "You know that I can't afford to lose him."

Fou sighed. She had been preparing an excuse for some time now, knowing that Bookman would arrive to question her, but at his last statement, at his admission of weakness, she couldn't bring herself to do it. So she told them the truth.

"Lavi and Kanda knocked my door on the night of the ball. It was late. Midnight already. I was only going to be up for a few minutes more but they knocked and I let them in. Of course, I already knew they were up to no good. Knocking on doors at that hour? But Lavi told me that they were planning to take a trip. A break from the castle and no one was to know about it until later." She sighed. "All they wanted from me, apparently, was some maps and a culture book. Nothing that would really be noticed. Anyway, I left Lavi to pick out what he liked and then I came back to talk with Kanda. He's a fine chap, and it's nice holding a conversation with someone other than my regulars." She gave the two men a playful wink. "We didn't really discuss too much. I asked after his health and he apologized for not visiting. I told him not to worry about it and made him promise that when they returned, he should visit me sometime. And then Lavi came back in and declared that they needed to get going. I did think to ask of where they would go, but they of course deigned to keep me in the dark. I let them leave through the window in Bak's room because it views the forest, and I know they needed secrecy. And that was the last I saw of the two. Any questions?"

"Yes, do you know if anyone else saw them enter or leave your shop?" Tsukikami inquired.

Fou shook her head. "Nope. I don't think anyone else saw, and I haven't had anyone but the two of you knocking on my door looking for them." She eyed the two of them. "Actually, I was expecting for you to come sooner. Why didn't you?"

"Clever boy concealed his trail. It didn't wear off until today, but that was probably on purpose." Bookman said, irritation and a hint of pride coloring his voice. "I suppose he thought they would be long gone by then. It's a good assumption—Lavi travels fast and Kanda travels faster without that usual load hindering him. I have a good guess to say at a reasonable pace with little stops, they probably made it past the border and are laying low."

"Clever deduction." Fou said, hopping off the counter. "So what do you plan to do now?"

"Find the brat, obviously. But not now." Bookman glanced at Tsukikami. "We should head back to the castle; I feel that we'll be needed soon."

Tsukikami nodded in agreement at him and then gave Fou a generous smile. "Thanks for your help, Fou."

"No problem, Moon Hands." She chuckled at the frown he gave upon hearing her nickname for him. "And, if it's alright with you, I'd much rather  _not_  be the recipient of anger, so could you not mention them being here to the parents? Queen Etsuko is probably having a breakdown with Kanda gone, and I don't like to see the Queen in that state."

"You're not very far off the mark." Tsukikami told her as the three walked towards the door.

"You mean she has? Kami-sama, I hope she recovers soon. Tell her Kanda can take care of himself, alright? And Lavi could protect him too, but I doubt he'd need it."

Bookman and Tsukikami left the shop, the spell over it breaking as soon as the caster stepped out. "Well, tell me how it goes. Good luck!" She gave waved at them and retreated back into her shop. Bookman and Tsukikami made their way out of town and back to the castle.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

There was no hope in keeping the news from Princess Ida: word had spread too far in the castle for it to be hidden and easily given up at the slip of a tongue. So she had to be told, but in a manner that would not offend her. The king wished for an excuse to be fabricated, but the queen decided against it, fully tired of the matter at hand and wishing to send Princess Ida off so they could focus more attention on finding their missing son.

"Hello, Princess Ida. We are happy that you could join us today." The king started off with a pleasant tone.

"As well as I, Your Majesty." Princess Ida replied back just as smoothly. "Have you heard yet any news on the whereabouts of Prince Kanda?"

"Actually, it is about that matter that we have come to discuss." Queen Etsuko calmly said, deciding to break the news as cleanly as possible. "You see, he has gone missing and is nowhere in the premises of the castle nor is he in the surrounding area."

Princess Ida gasped, covering her mouth with her gloved hands. "What? But how is that possible? Was he kidnapped?"

"We are not sure what caused his disappearance, but we can assure you that the cause will be found out."

"But what are your suspicions?" Princess Ida pressed.

The queen pursed her lips for a moment but continued on. "Although there was no sign of a break in, we  _do_  hold that possibility into consideration."

"Then, you  _do_  think he was kidnapped." Princes Ida said slowly.

"Princess Ida, there is no other way to tell you this, but I am afraid that our castle's security has been breached and that there is a high possibility that you could be targeted next if there is a criminal behind this, seeing as how you are a neighboring kingdom's heiress. We have notified your father and already made the proper arrangements to send you home, lest any danger come to befall you."

"What? You're sending me back? Without my consent?" The princess' voice was indignant.

"Please, Princess Ida. We do not wish to put your safety in jeopardy. That would cause a war between our countries and we don't wish for that." Queen Etsuko said, trying to appease the blonde.

"I understand that fully, but still I think my opinion should have been heard. Especially before you notified my father."

"Well, it is being heard now. Speak then, if you must."

"Then know this." Princess Ida took a breath. "I am in no danger. At my side is my kingdom's most distinguished and accomplished sorcerer. He has proved his worth more times than our family can count, and is completely loyal to my family. If there were any attempt on my life, he would know of it beforehand and if I were kidnapped, he would have many ways of locating me. In addition to that, he is an excellent bodyguard and has always kept me safe where another could not. Therefore, I request to the Royal Family that I be allowed to continue my stay at this castle for the period of time priorly agreed to according to the arrangement that was created."

"That is a high praise for just one man, Princess Ida. Indeed he must be of an excellent caliber to warrant such esteemed appraisals. Although we do take your word for his skill, since we have never had the pleasure of having witnessed his service, we cannot bring ourselves to fully trust his capability."

"Are saying my word is not worth listening to?" Her voice rose indignantly. "It is not just my family who thinks highly of him, but also of the Rose Order of which he is an esteemed member of. Indeed, you can have their word if you will not take mine. And what of your own spellcaster? If he is a part of this society then he must have some knowledge of my sorcerer and can say something of his character and skills."

Queen Etsuko took a deep breath. "Then, are we correct in assuming that you wish to stay here in Falaron Castle until the return of my son?"

"Yes, it is."

"No matter the dangerous situations that may arise?"

"Yes, I am not afraid."

"One last question princess. Why do you want to stay so badly?"

Princess Ida raised her chin and declared in a strong, unwavering voice, "It is because I have fallen in love with the prince and I do not wish for any harm to befall him. I intend to marry him."

"It is a bold statement from you, princess. I do hope you are aware that the final decision itself rests in the hands of my son."

"Of course, Your Majesty. But I can assure you the moment he returns he will have no other than me."

"Very well then, Princess Ida." King Leonard said. "We will inform your father of your choice."

"As will I." Princess Ida added.

"Yes, of course. You may leave us now."

Princess Ida rose and curtsied. "Good day, Your Majesties."

"As to you, Princess."

She left the room and the doors swung shut on her exit. It was at that point the queen raised and turned her head. "Summon the Black Knights."

The messenger in the corner of the room fumbled with his papers. "The Black Knights, Your Highness?" He asked, startled.

"Yes. As well as Bookman, Lavi, and Tsukikami. We shall need their presence."

"If you permit me to suggest, what of the young Princess and Prince?"

"That won't be necessary. Leave us now."

"Yes, Your Highness." The messenger quickly left using the side entrance that he had been standing in front of.

"What will you have done, my dear? All the search parties we've sent out have been in vain."

"We will send the Knights, my love. Surely they will be able to succeed where others have failed."

"But can we expend our sorcerers? I would require that they stay behind."

"And so they shall. But guidance is essential. Ah, here they come now."

The two rulers ceased their discussion and turned to the front of the room where the main doors opened and the messenger from earlier approached them. "Announcing the arrival of Bookman, Tsukikami, and the Black Knights, as you requested, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Sigmund."

He bowed and departed to the side, making way for the others. They strode in two lines and the doors swung shut.

"Your Majesties." Bookman at the front of the procession said. The members with him bowed and rose in unison. "You summoned us?"

"Yes, we did." King Leonard said, looking at the people below him. "Is there any word yet of my son?"

"No, Your Majesty." Bookman raised his sleeves in front of him, tilting his head down. "I regret to inform you that there is no change in our results."

"We thought as much, and have summoned you thus." All attention turned to the queen. "I have thought on this matter long and hard, and have come to the conclusion that it is of the highest possibility that my son has left the country."

Bookman, Tsukikami, and the figures cloaked in black and blue exchanged glances with one another, but none could be said to look surprised. In fact, they looked rather unsurprised, a fact which the queen took note of.

"You seem rather unsurprised," Queen Etsuko said. "Why is that, I wonder?"

"Your Highness," the Captain of the Knights stepped forward. "This does not come to a surprise as us, for knowing the Prince, we have already surmised as much."

"We do agree." Tsukikami added, speaking for him and Bookman both.

"Then you shall know our next action." The queen's voice grew steely and determined. "I charge half of the Black Knights to withdraw from the castle to search the wide lands to find my son. However, that will not be what you present to the public. Instead, merely say you are patrolling the land, or some other believable activity, and do that while you search. Do you accept?"

The Captain bowed, and the company with him. "We do Your Highness."

"Good." King Leonard looked at Tsukikami and Bookman. "We shall require that the two of you give them the necessary tools of communication so we can keep track of their progress. We also require weekly reports on the other lands."

"Will do, Your Highness." Tsukikami replied.

The Black Knights were left to converse amongst themselves, and finally six members stepped forward with the Captain in the lead.

"Your Majesties, we have decided upon these members to lead the search. I will stay behind with the rest of my company to ensure the castle's security."

"Very well." Queen Etsuko turned her attention to the sorcerers in the room.

"Bookman." The queen said. "Where is the young Bookman Junior? I do believe that we had summoned him as well?" She gave him an inquiring look.

Bookman mentally cursed his foolish grandson. He had been hoping to avoid that particular topic, but the queen was sharp, as keen as her second son. "Ah, Your Majesty. I'm afraid we can't find him in anywhere in the castle. I have come to the conclusion that he is either hiding, or has run off as well."

Her voice rose, almost incredulous. "Do you mean to say that he is with my son? Why have you not brought this matter up?"

"Your Majesty, it is a possibility that we do not discount. However, the chances are quite slim, for if the Prince were to run, would he truly take my boisterous grandson along? He makes a racket wherever he goes, that he does." Bookman argued.

"Ah, but we all know the spirited personality of Lavi. Is it not equally true that if he found out my son's plans that he would tag along, with or without consent?"

"Yes, I suppose there is a large possibility he would." Bookman amended. "It is equally possible that he might have tried to stop Prince Kanda from leaving, resulting in the Prince bashing him unconscious to make an unhindered escape and leaving him in the bushes by the side of the road."

"But my son left approximately three days ago, and if Lavi were unconscious, surely he would be awake now, and in the castle to help with the search?"

"I suppose, Your Majesty." Bookman conceded.

"Bookman, you seem very bent on hiding this matter from me. Do you care to explain why, or will I need to keep a closer eye on you?"

"No need, Your Majesty. Forgive me. I just did not want to give you false hopes." Bookman gave her a slight bow.

"That is acceptable. However, I would appreciate the information when you learn it next. Now, can you track him down?" The queen asked.

"I will do my best, Your Majesty."

"Then I order you to do so. Tell me of all results when you receive them."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"This meeting is adjourned. Remember that all that was spoken here shall not be talked about anywhere else."

The summoned people all bowed and retreated from the room and the doors behind them closed.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Confound that foolish boy of mine!" Bookman cursed as he and Tsukikami walked down the hallway together. "Why did he choose to leave at a time like this?"

"It'll be alright Bookman." Tsukikami wondered what the world was coming to, that Bookman needed his reassurance. "Let's go back tonight and poke around."

"Alright."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Well?" The high-pitched voice asked in an irritating manner. "What have you discovered?"

"Not much, Princess. Just as much as the reports have, I'm afraid."

She scowled, but the expression did nothing to mar her perfect face. She just looked more childish than usual. "Then what shall we do? We  _need_  the upper hand here, Tyki. As far as it looks like, we have little of neither. No prince, no castle. I am being made a fool of here!"

"Really?" Tyki examined his glove with mock interest, the tone of his voice clipped with mock-boredom. "If you haven't noticed, I believe we have been given a very rare chance. The rarest of all chances actually. One that puts us with the highest advantage."

She glared at him. "Enough with the riddles! You know how much I hate it! Explain yourself."

He sighed, and said slowly, "Well,  _think_  about it. What do you know of the Prince?"

"That he's intelligent and strong, but is more likely to go in for the kill before asking for permission to do so. He's  _completely_  handsome but antisocial, will complete his duty as prince with  _zero_  mistakes, has hair the color of silken blue night, is dead accurate in battle, has had numerous offers of marriage but turned them down (for me of course _)_ , is more likely to adhere to the wishes of his mother and siblings, has a brother who disappeared way off whenever, is always accompanied by a bodyguard (although I can't say I've seen that myself), and a lot of citizens are rumored to be simply terrified of him, although I can't say why, (seeing as how he's so smart and handsome)." Princess Ida said, mixing in her dreamy opinions and added asides in with the facts. "And, of course, he is the crown prince of his land, rumored to be as strong as their general army commander and His Highness the King."

"Very good." Tyki said. "Do you see now the advantage we have?"

She glared at him, obviously not getting it. Mentally he sighed, and chastised himself for forgetting that not all the people he hung around with were as intelligent as him. Maybe the redhead would be, but hold on now, he was getting ahead of himself. And, where did that thought come from? Ah, right, because the redhead had magic in him, didn't he? And that was simply intriguing, because he hadn't read any reports to inform him on that fact.

Ida tapped her foot in annoyance and Tyki smoothly replied as if he hadn't been in thought. "Well, you said it yourself. Prince Kanda is extremely strong and has a high influence on how things are run here. With him gone, they'll all be too busy looking for him to pay much attention to the happenings that will go on, am I right?"

Princess Ida nodded slowly, beginning to understand Tyki's logic. He continued. "So, you could probably go around and learn more about him to be his future wife. You could also gather more information for our previous plan, and in one way or another, as long he's not here while we plan, we could definitely get our way. Capishi **(1)**?"

He watched as realization dawned on her face, the makings of an evil hatch come into her mind. Tyki chuckled, a sly grin on his own face. A new plan not considered was going to take place and it was going to be effective. The thought alone made him giddy.

"Well, Tyki. I get where you're coming from and I think it brilliant." Princess Ida laughed, and then moved towards the door. "Let's get on with it, shall we?" He held the door open for her and she walked through.

As he walked out the door after her, another thought came to him, one of question. Just where was Road exactly? He had, of course, felt her magic flare and wane three nights ago, but while checking it out the next night, had found it going stale. Nothing was there, except for the remains of her magic with light strands of someone else's. It set questions running through his mind, and he wondered where exactly Road was and why she was there in the first place. If she had been playing messenger, she would've gone to him straightaway, regardless of where he was at the time. So, if that was not the case, then why? Tyki frowned. It seemed as if he would need to communicate with his group sooner than he needed to. That, or he would be receiving a call sooner than he anticipated. Both seemed to be unpleasant prospects.

Tyki shrugged it off, and decided to do some snooping around to improve his mood.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Beatrice entered the throne room and curtsied politely. "Father, Mother, you sent for me?"

"Yes, we did." King Leonard said. "Come take a seat. There is something that we would like to discuss with you." He patted the seat in front of him.

"Yes, Papa." Beatrice came forward and sat down in the offered seat. "What is it you would like to say?"

King Leonard took a quick breath. "My darling girl. There is no easy way to say this, but your mother and I have decided that you shall be announced as the Crown Princess."

Beatrice's eyes widened considerably. She had considered it a possibility, but had not expected it to come so soon. "Father, Mother. Don't you think this is too soon?"  _As if big brother will not be back._ Beatrice forced the thought away.

Queen Etsuko sighed. "Of course it is soon, darling. But, with what happened before, and knowing your brother…" she looked away, unable to go on.

"What do you think?" King Leonard asked.

Beatrice straightened herself up. "Of course I have no objections, dear Papa, Mama. I accept the Crown until either Brother returns to claim it with no ill will for this is my duty as Princess."

King Leonard smiled proudly and fondly at his only daughter. This was the reason he had always been so proud of her, she was such a responsible and mature girl. Queen Etsuko was also very pleased and it showed in her face.

"When will this news be announced, then?" Beatrice asked.

"Formally in the next week." King Leonard told her.

"Alright." Beatrice stood. "Thank you, Mother, Father, for giving this to me, and so quickly."

She didn't have to remind them of a young Kanda who had stood up at dinner one day to announce that he would be the next Crown Prince of Ardua and that his parents had taken far too long to bestow him the position. It had been two weeks since Prince Alma had disappeared and the king and queen had not moved on from their grief. However, Kanda had, instead of breaking down like his parents, he stood like an ice sculpture, converting that grief and anger into a stronger sense of duty. Beatrice and Timothy still held that moment in high regard, following his lead to become better and stronger themselves.

With her head held high, Princess Beatrice walked out of the throne room.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Timothy?" A sweet voice called out to the young boy, bringing him out of his trance.

"Lala!" Timothy stopped and gave the blonde a cheeky grin full of happiness while he waited for her to reach him.

"Goodness, Timothy. You almost walked right past the town, being so lost in thought." She peered at him curiously. "Just what has you so distracted?"

"Well," Timothy maneuvered to a nearby log by the path, sat, and gestured for her to do the same. She sat beside him as he explained. "You know, nii-sama has disappeared, and Mama is very upset. Beatrice-nee told me we have to be strong and brave. I promised her I would be. But, I'm lonely, because now I only have Beatrice left. What if she leaves too, Lala? I don't think I could stand it."

Lala gave him a gentle smile in reassurance. "Tim, that won't happen. She won't leave you." The nine-year-old put a comforting hand on her companion's shoulder.

"But what if she does?" Timothy looked at her. "Alma and Yuu-nii have both left already. What's to say that Bea-nee won't go too? And then I could never leave, because there isn't another brother or sister for me to leave the kingdom too. And Papa and Mama would be so upset." He didn't mind that he had spilled some of his innermost thoughts to her—she was his best friend and he was hers even though he was a prince and she was a mere commoner. They were young and status mattered nothing to these long time friends.

"Even if you are lonely, there are lots of people around you. You're the Prince after all." Lala pointed out. "And everyone loves you as much as they love your parents and siblings."

"But now I have to deal with all this responsibility!" Timothy exclaimed. "Man, it was so much easier with Yuu-nii around."

Lala put her hands on her hips. "Timothy Hearst Falaron, look at yourself, wallowing in self-pity!" Timothy looked at her in surprise. "What would your brother say if he saw you now? He entrusted the safety of the kingdom with you and Beatrice before he left, didn't he? Well, you can't just let her shoulder everything by herself!" Lala took Timothy's hands in hers and looked deep into his eyes. "Everyone has responsibilities, Tim, just you have more than us common folk. But it's okay, because you won't be alone. And if you make mistakes, that's okay too. So don't just sit there and be sad, jump up and persevere!" Lala exclaimed. "Just like Lavi-san." She added as afterthought, and the two burst out with laughter, recalling the goofy redhead who was almost always somewhere near the more serious prince of Ardua.

"Thanks, Lala. I needed that." Timothy gave Lala a huge smile and hugged her tightly.

Lala fought to keep a blush off her face. "I-It's nothing. This is what friends do, give each other pep talks." Lala said when Timothy released her from his hold. "Let's head back to town before my dad worries." She stood and picked up her basket, and Timothy set off with her down the path.

"How come you're alone anyway?" Lala asked, eying him curiously. "You usually have some guards around."

"I gave them all the slip." Timothy told her with a grin. "It's fun to make them panic."

"Even Tsukikami-san?"

Timothy shrugged. "Well, Tsukikami has been pretty busy recently, so I haven't seen him around much. I mean, I don't want to bother him because he's looking for nii-sama." Timothy kicked the rock by his feet aimlessly. "He actually wasn't with me today." Timothy kicked another rock. "So, um, what were you doing out?" He asked, changing the subject.

Lala sighed, knowing she wouldn't get any more information out of him. "Well, I was picking flowers for Fou-san. She's been sad since Bak-san disappeared, and I hope these will cheer her up."

"Huh. Where is Bak anyway?" Timothy asked curiously.

Lala shrugged. "I wish I knew. Oh! Fou-san?"

Timothy and Lala watched the orange-headed woman look up at them, face contorting in surprise when she registered them.

"Lala, Tim, what are you two doing out here all by yourselves?"

"Walking." The two children said in unison.

Fou came over to them and stared them both in the eye. "Hmm, so you're not concocting up some mischief?"

"Naww, it's not as much fun without people to prank on." Timothy admitted. "And I miss Lavi leading us."

A shadow passed over Fou's face, going unnoticed by Timothy but not by Lala. It quickly passed though and Fou grinned. "Yeah, but Lavi can take care of himself, so don't you two worry about him so much. Or your brother either—I'm sure he'll return safe and sound. Let's head back."

"Okay," Timothy and Lala agreed. When they reached their destination in front of Fou's shop, Lala went and pressed the basket of flowers in Fou's hands.

"For you, Fou-san. Don't be so sad." Lala told her and Fou smiled, touched by the girl's words.

"Uh oh." They turned to the direction Timothy faced. There were a couple of royal guards walking around and Lala laughed at Timothy's discomfort.

"Well, you knew they'd find you sooner or later." She pointed out. "Go on, Tim. And come back whenever!" She gave him a friendly push in the guards' direction and he stuck his tongue out at her childishly but walked to them anyway.

Fou and Lala waved good-bye to Timothy who was escorted back to Falaron Castle. When he was out of sight, Lala turned to Fou and said as seriously as she could for nine-year-old, "Fou, what do you know of Lavi?"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

_**Author's Notes** _

So, Happy Birthday to Kanda! That's another year gone by, and I apologize for making you all wait so long. But I can say for now that this will probably by my future update schedule for this story. Thanks to all my reviewers and those who just read this story! It pleases me to know that you haven't given up on me or this story. Also, I am disappointed with such few story updates relating to Kanda and Lavi, so if you have something to post up, do it! This fandom needs more fans, you know. Well, I hope this chapter is satisfactory! 'Til next time! (By the way, it's meant to be underlined, but I don't know why ff won't let me, so to differentiate, it is italicized.)

_**Text** _

**(1) Capishi:**  Intended to be mean 'understand';  **[** Pronounced with the "A" said open as in 'car'  **-**   **Corrected by YuKanda]**

_**Response to Reader Reviews** _

**janrockiss:**  Yup, Lavi's a magic user. Glad you liked the action scene, I was kinda stuck figuring out what to do. Also, I'm not a fighter myself, so forgive me if it's kinda off.

 **scarf:**  That scenario is very funny. If you don't mind, perhaps I might use it in one of my future chapters. With credits to you, of course. I'm glad you're enjoying this story.

 **Yuu13:**  I glad you liked Road being there! And yes, I have plans to put in Allen and Lenalee.

 **PINKhairedBADASS:**  Thank you I'm glad you liked it

 **FrozenClaws:**  Thanks! And you are right on the mark about Ida! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^_-

_**Length of Entire Text and Afternotes** _

Twelve pages on Microsoft Word


	7. Wandering the Wide World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: July 8th 2012

The morning sun came quickly, arising in a slow ascent in the sky. The change of wind and the dapple of the sun's presence was enough to stir Lavi from his deep slumber. An hour passed, and Lavi finally began to wake fully. He croaked an eye open and was met with the soft baby blue of the sky above him. His peripheral vision noted the yellow and pink streaks among the blue, and made him smile and close his eyes, basking in this morning peace. He didn't have to be told to know that the teenager beside him was fully awake and in a meditating position, possibly for a couple hours, possibly for a few minutes before Lavi woke.

"Up already, Yuu?" Lavi let his voice stretch out lazily in the open air, not bothering to open his eye. "I thought you'd still be tired from the chase we gave yesterday."

A quiet snort came to his ears. "Don't be foolish." The voice didn't have its usual gruffness accompanying it, nor its underlying tones of sharpness. "A warrior is always ready."

"Of course they are." Lavi said with a smile, turning to face his friend. He opened his one eye and studied the pale, serene face, framed with its dark blue locks. Through their entire conversation, Kanda had not bothered to open his eyes because he had already been aware of Lavi and didn't feel the need to break his connection with his environment that opening eyes usually caused. Far away, a bird sounded, its cheerful morning chirp carried by the wind.

Quietly, Lavi said, "You should have gotten some more sleep. It would have done you good. After all, what we did at the castle, it's a lot to worry about."

Kanda opened his blue eyes to focus on his friend's visible green one. "I'm fine."

Lavi chuckled. "I know you are. But I also know that you're worried about Bea, Tim, and your mom. They'll take care of themselves just fine, that stubborn blood of yours runs thicker than blood."

"Who said I was worried?" Kanda asked casually.

"There's no need to hide from your closest friend, Yuu." Lavi admonished. "No one's here but us."

"And we don't even know where 'here' is." Kanda retorted. After a moment, he added, "Everything will be fine. Once we get back, everything will be fine." He started to get up.

"My, aren't you optimistic today." Lavi said sardonically as he moved himself as well. "And since when are we leaving just to go back? That's not like the stubborn Yuu-chan I know."

Kanda gave him what seemed to be an irritated glance, but both of them knew it for what it was. "Whoever said we were going back straightaway?" His sudden grin surprised no one, especially Lavi who adapted to sudden situations whenever he happened upon them. "We have a journey ahead of us first. You know, people to meet, sights to see, and none to direct us but ourselves."

Lavi's grin matched his friend's own, although it was albeit wider than the other's, splitting his face. "Now you're talking. Why, we could even take a two year vacation! A bit of prolonged freedom never did harm to anyone."

Kanda smiled in response. "Maybe."

The two teenagers walked away in a general direction, full of fresh energy and of good cheer.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The direction they headed in took them into a small town. While Lavi stopped to talk with an old man, Kanda picked up a magazine from the stall's counter. He snorted when he saw its cover: it was issue of  _La Royaume_ , the most widely circulated paper in the world, branching in every country. Alongside local newspapers, it brought gossip and information to the public, a mix of truth and a mix of slight truth, as they were careful to avoid printing falsehoods. Kanda made a point to never read them—they were a waste of brain cells, according to him. And he made a point to avoid the Ardua branch of the company. It was bad enough they circulated rumors that he was one of the world's most handsome eligible bachelors—he didn't need their sneaky media hanging around everywhere they went. Since his parents had no wish to clean up a massacre, they had, on their son's insistence, banned the company's Ardua branch from the royal city, leaving them to take up residence at one of the country's nearby town.

"What'cha lookin' at Yuu?" Lavi said, coming up to peer from behind Kanda's shoulder. "Oooh,  _La Royaume_." Lavi said, reading the title. "I thought you hated that paper. Huh, it's in a magazine format. Interesting."

Kanda snorted. "It's crap. What did the old man say?"

"Well, surprisingly enough, we are in the country of Ektona, in its Derde Stad **(1)**  to be precise."

Kanda looked at him in surprise. "Ektona? When did we cross the border?"

Lavi shrugged. "It must have been when were in that weird house. Well, at least we're farther away than we originally planned, aye?" Lavi clapped a hand on Kanda's shoulder. "Put the magazine down, Yuu. That issue's last week's news. Let's go exploring!" He bounced away with a happy grin on his face.

Kanda set the issue down and followed the red-head, who was impatiently waiting for Kanda by the inn several buildings down.

"Hey, I just went in there and the receptionist is really nice. Plus their décor is really nice. Hey, I have an idea! Let's stay the night! Please?" Lavi asked.

"No." Kanda deadpanned and continued to walk past him. "I'm not staying any longer than I have to. This place is in Ektona and that's closer to Ardua than I would like."

"Wha?" Lavi looked mildly shocked and ran to catch up with him. "Yuu, being in another country is already far enough, especially taking a look at the day we left. They'll never assume we came all this way already. As far as I'm concerned, we are more untraceable than ever. Give it a chance, Yuu."

Kanda snorted. "Ah, but you failed to take in the circumstances." He said, voice laced with certain sarcasm and came to a stop. "Considering who we are, who  _I_  am, and the capital of  _this_  country," here he flung an arm out in front of them, finger point at a silhouette some miles away, "at a certain visible distance away from this very town. Lavi, us staying  _here_  is just not going to happen." He crossed his arms and Lavi knew that he wouldn't be able to move Kanda's stubborn attitude.

"Fine, fine." Lavi held both hands palm outwards to placate his companion. "Let's just explore a while then, okay? After all, it's not every day we can go into another country without all the formal fuss that I  _know_ you hate. How 'bout it?"

As soon as he had Kanda's grudging nod, he grabbed and dragged the other off to explore as much as possible.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

It was noon when they decided to take a lunch break. Plopping down at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables, Lavi and Kanda enjoyed the cool breeze that flowed past them, somewhat worn out by their tramping around town at Lavi's insistence. Since that morning, they had traversed all throughout the northern half of the town. Lavi, having picked up a map, insisted they go touring immediately. Kanda retorted that they would purchase nothing that wasn't needed, especially including the shiny baubles that often caught the attention of that green eye. A waiter came and took their order, delivering it shortly afterwards. Munching on his order, Lavi was pleased to have found a good place to stop for a meal. The plus was its cheapness and the fact that Kanda didn't throw the platter at his face after the first bite.

"Soo," Lavi started while Kanda's mouth was full. "I looked at the map of the country and we, my friend, are here." Lavi pulled out the map and plopped it down on the table between them, pointing his finger one of the map's dots.

Kanda peered at it thoughtfully while chewing his food. "As I thought, we're not that far away after all." Both of them knew he meant Ektona's capital and Ardua's borders.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Which brings me to this point." Lavi's finger circled an area of the map. "You see, there are three other towns close by, but only two in the direction we want to head in." His finger moved to the right and Kanda's eyes followed it. "From this town to Zesde Plaats **(2)**  is a good twenty miles. Fifteen miles from there will land us in the Alpine Forest, and then who knows where we'll be or how long it'll take to get to Vashekla." His finger moved to a different spot on the map. "Now, we could go down here to Vijfde Stad **(3)**  and then to Achtste Stad **(4)**  and then head into the forest, but the distance is practically the same. Yuu, regardless of the route we take, it will take them a  _long_  time to find us,  _especially_  if their sights are narrowed on Ardua. After all, no one, not even us, expected us to be all the way out here already."

Kanda studied at his companion's face and slowly straightened until he was upright. "You really want to stay in this town, don't you? I can't see why, it's not fairly eye-opening." He said dryly and got up from his chair. Lavi's eye followed the movement. "Che. I'm going to use the restroom." Kanda briskly walked away even after he heard Lavi calling after him.

"Oi! Did'ya want dessert?" Not garnering a reply, Lavi shrugged and eyed the menu on the table. "Hmm, this might be tasty," he muttered. "And cheap, too."

He was startled by a sudden voice beside him at his table. "Hi there!" Lavi looked up to see a young brunette outfitted in a baby blue dress. "Hello miss." Lavi gave her a polite smile. "Can I help you with something?" He asked, letting some puzzlement show through in his voice.

"Yes, I know it's rather silly, but," she giggled, "by any chance would your companion be the prince of Ardua?"

Caught off guard, Lavi blanched but quickly swept the expression away. "Him? No, miss I'm afraid not. Um, what made you come to this conclusion?"

She giggled again, rather prettily, and had this happened elsewhere Lavi might have chased it, but seeing the situation at hand, he chose to ignore it. He also noted the girl's glance over the shoulder to three other girls standing by a street vendor's stall a street away. "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm a big fan of Prince Kanda even though I've never seen him in person. Your friend has a remarkable similarity." As she looked back at her friends once more, the waiter came up to Lavi and asked if he wanted any dessert to complement his meal. Lavi distractedly ordered two lemon crêpes and as the girl turned back to him the waiter walked away.

"Maybe you can introduce us?" The girl asked, batting her eyelashes at him.

Inwardly Lavi laughed at the thought of his friend, who rejected nobles without batting an eye, hooking up with a random chick from the street. Aloud he politely declined. "Sorry sweetheart. But I don't even know your name."

Her cheeks turned red immediately and she was stammering out a flushed reply before Lavi interrupted her. "Maybe some other, hmm? We wouldn't want your other friends to be jealous." He gave her a sweet smile and she walked away, face beet red. The waiter took her place, depositing the ordered desserts on the table gently, the warm scent wafting in the air. "Thank you. Our bill, please." Lavi finished paying the man as Kanda returned.

"Ah, there you are. Here, have a lemon crêpe."

Kanda took the offered treat and bit into it, acknowledging its tastiness while Lavi bit into his own. They were finished in a matter of minutes and Kanda was surprised at the speed Lavi employed to clear the table of their belongings. He looked at the other, slightly amused. "What's the rush? I thought you wanted to stay here longer."

"Well, I did, but then I realized you were right." Lavi replied. "So, let's finish looking at the town and then head on our way before it gets dark, yeah?"

Shrugging off the strangeness as typical Lavi, Kanda followed Lavi as they resumed their exploration of the town.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"What are we doing in here?" Kanda asked, looking around at the clothes shop with disinterest.

"Finding clothes, ya know. We have to be prepared." Lavi said while rummaging around the store.

"I have clothes, thank you very much." Kanda retorted. "Don't tell me you forgot to pack some, since you somehow knew in advance my plans." He narrowed his eyes at Lavi's back.

"Me? Forget?" Lavi let out a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. But, it hit me. With your looks, well, we'd be recognized in no time, so we need disguises." Lavi's head popped up at this and turned around the shop. He was pleased to find that the owner had stepped into the backroom for a moment so the two could talk privately. "Seriously. And we'll need new names on the road as well. Think of one or I'll name you myself." He returned to the piles at hand while Kanda leaned against the wall to consider his words.

In an hour, the two came out of the shop dressed in new clothes and not looking at all like themselves. In addition to that, Kanda, refusing to cut his hair, had the majority of it hidden under a baseball cap so that the only hair that showed reached his shoulders, making him look rather boyish. However, that did the trick, because anyone who heard of Prince Kanda Falaron of Ardua knew that he had long hair down to his back. Lavi merely changed his outfit and bandana, confident that he was less recognizable than Kanda even though he had red-hair which practically stood out like a beacon from the sky. Finally, to top it all off, they had new names. Kanda was now to be called Ando **(5)**  and Lavi Itzhak **(6)**. Of course this would only be in public places, since Kanda found it ridiculous to be called a different name when they were alone.

"Why do you need such a strange name?" Kanda grumbled. "If nothing else, that will attract attention."

"Relax, Ando **.** People name their children strange names all the time. But if you must know, Itzhak is a variant of the name Isaac. It's a perfectly good name."

"Then why not use Isaac?"

"It sounds cooler, that's why." Lavi smirked at him and Kanda rolled his eyes at his childishness.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Hours later, the sky above them darkened and Kanda stopped, studying it with a frown.

"It's going to rain."

"Then we're staying the night?"

"Obviously. There's no point going anywhere now."

"We can leave in the morning if it's cleared up by then. If not, well there's no harm staying longer. I can get directions from the locals."

"Let's get an inn closest to the path headed to that other village."

"I dunno if there's one over there." Lavi said skeptically.

"So?" Kanda set a brisk pace. "Let's find one before it starts to pour."

"Wha? How soon will it come?" Lavi asked, hurrying his own pace.

He didn't get a reply, but his own senses told him they had two hours before the rain started.

"My, you two young men are certainly lucky to come in when you did." The elderly woman told them as they entered the building. The rain, drizzling while they walked, had suddenly kicked into a pour no sooner as the door shut behind them.

"Thank you ma'am. Two rooms for the night please, if you have the rooms available." Lavi politely said.

The elderly woman smiled at them and handed over two keys. "We have a lot of rooms available. Until a big event happens, we don't get many customers. But when my Frannie comes back in two weeks, we're going to implement a small café down here at the base floor. She'll take over for me when I've retired." She added.

"She sounds lovely, ma'am." Lavi told her. "We'll be heading to our rooms now."

"Of course, of course. Come down when you want some dinner."

"Thank you ma'am."

Lavi turned back to Kanda who had impatiently waited by the stairs for Lavi and tossed him one of the keys. "Room 18 for you and 19 for me."

Kanda walked up the stairs with Lavi following him. The rooms themselves were plain, but cozy with the décor. Satisfied with room, the building, and the people within it, Kanda and Lavi welcomed a relatively peaceful night.

"I must say, this is a really nice establishment." Lavi said admiringly beside Kanda on one of the large sofas that were spread around the fireplace. They had just finished their dinner and were just settling down. The elderly couple that managed the inn sat across from them and Lavi smiled at the love the two shared. Even Kanda's heart softened when he looked at them. Outside, the rain seemed like a distant background and any worries in their heads were miles away.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Ma'am, I was wondering what direction we should head in if we wanted to reach Zesde Plaats?" Lavi asked pointing at his map.

"Oh? Well let's see." The grandmother peered at the map. "Well, if you just head straight going east, you'll reach it in no time. For fit youngsters like you, I'd say it will be a breeze."

"Thank you for your help ma'am." Lavi rolled up the map and tucked it away. "Ando, are you ready to go?" He looked over at Kanda who just arrived downstairs and was making his way toward them.

"I'm ready." The two of them handed over their keys to the elderly woman and paid her their fee. She thanked them for their politeness and wished them luck on their journey. Her husband held the door for them and they thanked him on their way out as well.

"Well! That was a refreshing night!" Lavi exclaimed loudly. "And as long as we follow the path, we should be there in no time!" They left town at a leisurely pace, confident in themselves.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"And to think you said we'll be there in no time." Kanda said sarcastically.

"Yuu, it's not my fault those animals chased us. How was I supposed to know there was a beehive at the next bend?" Lavi said defensively. "Besides, there's something weird about those animals, because I'm pretty sure after twenty minutes an animal is supposed to give up."

"I don't know, those creatures were pretty angry." Kanda pointed out. "Actually I don't blame them—I'm still furious." Lavi gave him a sheepish look while Kanda gave him a semi-dark look of his own. "But I'm too exhausted to flay you right now. Be thankful."

They followed the dirt path a long way. However, they had not accounted for Lavi to accidentally knock over a beehive. They hadn't expected for there to be a large brown bear ambling towards the beehive and they certainly couldn't have known that the beehive would hit the bear square in the nose. Nevertheless, the two ran as fast as they could to escape the furious bees and bear, even splitting up at one point to try to evade and their pursuers. The whole thing irritated Kanda so much that he was about to stop and slice the bear in half, but Lavi talked him out of the idea even though he didn't mind trying out roast bear meat. Several hours later, they escaped the strangely persistent animals only to find themselves lost, thus leading to their current argument.

"I wonder where we are." Lavi spun around, hoping to see some town in the distance. However it only served to make them dizzy.

"Stop spinning around. Let's keep walking." Kanda trod ahead purposely.

"Man, we'll need to get a compass or something." Lavi complained although Kanda told him not to.

"Well, if we find a clearing, we can navigate using the stars."

"Oooh, good idea. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can. Can't you?"

"Of course!" Lavi replied back, indignant.

"Then there's no problem." Kanda said, eyes taking a look at their surroundings.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"I don't get it. We shouldn't be  _that_  far away from civilization." Lavi commented, noting that it had gotten dark and they still hadn't reached their destination.

Suddenly Kanda stopped, and held out an arm to prevent Lavi from moving forward, his body tense and alert.

Lavi's body immediately followed suit. "What is it?" He hissed with concern.

"I hear voices in the distance. But I can't make out what they're saying."

"We'll have to go closer then."

"Yeah, but no contact until we can determine what kind of people they are."

"Yuu, I'm sure they won't be enemies."

"Better safe than sorry, usagi, and you'd do well to remember that."

"Come on, maybe they're friendly."

Lavi took the lead now and both stealthily crept forward. As they got closer the voices got more distinctive until they could make out words.

Many people were talking and there were animals too. All of them sat in front of a large fire, and using that light, the two could make out caravan shapes. There were all sorts of people there, and Lavi noted their different skills as well. Amidst them, there was a tall man juggling forks, a teenage girl with pale blue hair, and a friendly-looking woman passing out cups of steaming liquid to some of the people around them. The banner across the caravan's side caught his eye.

"Yuu, they're a circus." Lavi whispered, a note of excitement in his voice.

"That doesn't make them friendly." Kanda whispered back.

"What do you mean? It's a  _circus_. A traveling circus."

"I've read books on animal cruelty thanks to Bea. She's also forced me, Tim, and several other staff members to sign a petition regarding some circuses to not be allowed in the capital. There were certain names listed, but I didn't pay much attention at the time."

"Oh I remember that," Lavi said. "She made such a big fuss about it. And then she tried to get General Nine to agree to take over all the circuses. She refused, of course." He snorted at the memory. "Not every circus is like that, though. And I remember all the names on that list Bea had us sign—this one isn't one of them. There's no harm, so we might as well go over to them. Heck, they could even give us directions!"

"Fine, but we leave tomorrow and no lingering with them for the rest of the journey." Kanda said with a pointed look at Lavi.

Said redhead rolled his eyes and flippantly flapped his hand back and forth. "Fine, fine." He then proceeded to enter the clearing with Kanda following.

"Hey, whaddya know?" Lavi immediately was his loud, obnoxious self. "It's a circus! Finally, some civilization!" He clasped onto the nearest person's hands enthusiastically, startling her. "Thank god we saw your firelight from afar. We were positively lost for hours!"

"I'm glad you found us, then." The girl whose hands he held smiled at Lavi reassuringly, losing her surprise. "You must have had a rough journey. I'm Lenalee and this is the Cirque de Cristal **(7)**."

Lavi smiled back at her. "I'm Itzhak and this is my companion Ando." He gestured to Kanda behind him and she gave him a small wave. Kanda merely stared back, making her slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, don't mind him," Lavi told her, noting her reaction. "He's just antisocial to strangers."

"That's alright." Lenalee told him. "So, where were trying to go?"

"Zesde Plaats, but we got lost, as I just said. We came from Derde Stad, actually." Lavi said informatively.

"Really? Wow, you guys really came the wrong way. How did you get lost? The path is very clear, and there are signs posted along the way. We came from Vijfde Stad two hours ago before we decided to stop here and camp."

"Would you know how to get to Zesde Plaats from here?" Kanda asked.

She nodded. "Yes, but it's rather late now." She glanced up at the darkening sky. "Perhaps you could stay with us for the night and I could show you the way tomorrow morning."

They were prevented from answering by a short shout of Lenalee's name. A shorter boy with a shock of white hair stopped by Lenalee. "Lenalee, Suman wants to—" he stopped abruptly, now taking notice of the strangers. He stared at them, focus drawn to Lavi. "Deak?" He asked, voice incredulous, and Lavi felt his own eye widen in surprise before he could stop it.

"Erm, no, sorry. My name's Itzhak and this is Ando. Lenalee here was offering us two lonely and lost travelers a spot to stay for the night. Would that be alright with you?" Lavi said quickly, covering his surprise efficiently.

The boy blinked, surprised, but shrugged it off, readily admitting his mistake. "Sorry, I must have been mistaken. You remind of someone else, that's all." He was suddenly nervous hearing Lavi's next words. "Oh? Well, actually that's not my call to make." He glanced over at Lenalee who quickly intervened with her bubbly self.

"Allen, what were you about to say earlier?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, well Suman wanted to ask you about the performance schedule. But if you're busy now, you can talk with him later."

"No, it's fine. I'll go now and ask about our two guests as well. While I'm at it, why don't you chat with Itzhak and Ando here? I won't be gone long."

"Sure, I suppose." Allen said as Lenalee walked off, leaving the three boys alone. There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So, Allen, huh? What do  _you_  do in the circus?" Lavi asked curiously.

"I mainly play the piano and perform as a clown." Allen responded.

"Do you perform often?"

"Yes, but we rotate a lot so everyone gets a turn in the spotlight."

"Ooh, good idea."

"Where are you two headed?"

"Zesde Plaats, but Lenalee told us she could give us directions in the morning. I'm afraid we got lost. Where are you guys headed next? Any upcoming shows?"

Allen frowned. "We actually just finished a show in Vijfde Stad yesterday."

Lavi dramatically sighed. "Oh, if only we'd been there sooner. I'm sure it was great."

"Thanks." Allen smiled at him. "I think we're headed for Achtste Stad next."

"Oh, darn. I guess we'll miss the next show too."

"Ah, there's Lenalee." Allen said, and they all turned to face the girl skipping towards them, her long pigtails streaming out behind her.

"That was fast." He remarked when she finally reached them. "Well? How did it go?"

Lenalee smiled at him and then turned to beam at Lavi and Kanda. "You guys can stay for night. I'll show you your tent and then we'll get you some food and introduce you to the rest of the crew." They followed Lenalee as she led them towards the others, chattering all the way. Lavi walked beside her and Allen and Kanda followed behind them, choosing not to join in the conversation.

"Normally on such a nice night, a lot of us would sleep outside, but the ground is still muddy from the rain yesterday. Thank goodness we didn't start leaving yesterday." Lenalee told Lavi. "Watch your step, or you'll slip." She warned him seriously. Lavi eyed her boots with skeptical interest when she turned away from him, expecting to see her fall, and was surprised that she didn't. Huh, the girl was more agile than he had previously thought, Lavi mused.

"What do you do in the circus, Lenalee?"

"Me? I'm a dancer! And sometimes a tightrope walker too, amongst various other jobs."

"How fascinating. I would expect no less from a pretty girl like you."

Lenalee blushed, flattered by the red-head's suave charm. "Thank you." She said shyly and then stopped. "Well, here we are: the extra guest tent." She gestured to the moderately sized blue tent. "There's plenty of room for the two of you inside, if you don't mind sharing."

She was interrupted from saying anything further by a loud rumble from behind her. They all turned to look at Allen who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "How about some dinner, then?"

"Ok, let's go eat. I think Mei-Ling is done cooking."

They walked over to a brunette with her hair done up in buns sitting by the rather large cooking pot over the fire.

"Hey Lenalee! Who are these people?"

"Oh, just some travelers that are going to stay with us for the night." Lenalee responded. "This is Itzhak and this is Ando."

"Please to meet you two. I'm Mei-Ling. I hope you enjoy the stew!" She said while ladling out the contents of the pot into wooden bowls and handing it to them.

"Thanks, miss. I'm sure it's delicious." Lavi gave her a winning smile and she blushed, unused to such attention towards herself at such a close range.

They went to sit on the bench set out beside the fire and ate, enjoying their food. While they drank and chewed slowly, Allen was anything but, finishing faster and was on his fifth bowl when they finished their first. And the bowls weren't small in size, either.

Lavi let out a low whistle. "Wow, you sure are hungry today aren't you?"

Lenalee laughed. "No, Allen just has a high metabolism, that's all. I wish I could eat that much." She muttered the last sentence darkly.

Lenalee and Lavi left to get another bowl, leaving Allen and Kanda alone.

Finishing his food, Allen sighed contentedly. "Ahh, that hit the spot." He glanced over at Kanda who had his eyes closed. "Did you like it?"

Receiving no reply, Allen tried again. "Hey, Ando? Ando?" Allen tilted his head and studied the other thoughtfully. "Are you sleeping?" But, Allen noticed that couldn't be right because even that guy should know better to sleep on a bench with no back to it. Seeing as how Ando wasn't tottering over, Allen reasoned that he was awake. He also reasoned that if Ando was awake but not answering him, it meant that he was being ignored. That realization made him quickly angry, especially since he had done nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

"Hey! Why are you ignoring me?"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi and Lenalee cut their chat with Mei-Ling short when they heard Allen's voice from where they were last left. They quickly rushed over, worried.

"—and it's just plain rude!"

"Heeyy, there. Allen, Ando, what's the matter?" Lavi asked, interrupting what would be more of Allen's tirade.

"Your friend is ignoring me for no reason whatsoever!" Allen said, and would have kept going, but he got cut off by Kanda's voice.

"Shut up, moyashi. You're disturbing the peace."

"It wouldn't be disturbing if you answered me. I'm trying to be a good host here. And why the hell are you calling me a beansprout?" Allen asked angrily.

"Because you are one." Kanda retorted.

This incited Allen's anger further, but Lavi cut in before any more words could be exchanged.

"Alright you two, that's enough." Lavi said sternly. "Allen, I'm sorry but I should've warned you beforehand that Ando is really antisocial. Ando, ignoring our host isn't polite." He looked at each person he addressed. "Look, I'd rather not have the entire camp get on our case, and look at how you're making poor Lenalee feel. You ought to be ashamed, behaving like children." Lavi lectured.

Allen felt bad when he saw the disappointed look on Lenalee's face but refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing. Kanda glared at Lavi as a response.

Lavi ignored it. "Well, let's just put this behind us now. Tomorrow we'll chat and be friendly and part ways, alright?"

"Fine." Allen said, albeit grudgingly.

"Whatever." Kanda got up from his seat and left them, headed for their guest accommodations.

"Wha-?"

Before Allen could get more annoyed Lavi cut in with a short laugh. "It's okay short-stuff. That's just his way." Lavi got up and ruffled Allen's hair.

"Hey!" Allen exclaimed, annoyed and came out from under Lavi's grip.

"Sorry mate. Couldn't resist." Lavi said. "So, how early does this place get up?"

"Pretty early in the morning, usually." Lenalee responded. "What time do you plan to leave, Itzhak?"

"After breakfast probably. Hey, can you give me a small tour now, or would it be better in the morning?" Lavi asked interestedly.

Lenalee surveyed the camp and frowned. "Sorry Itzhak, but I think they're pretty tired out from yesterday. Maybe tomorrow morning would be better."

"'S alright." Lavi said. "It's no problem." As he walked away, he tossed Allen and Lenalee a cheeky grin and a wave. "Night, Lena, Moyashi! See you in the morning!"

He laughed, hearing Allen's indignant splutters behind him.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

_**Author's Notes** _

Happy LaviYuu Day everybody! Hope you like this chapter and a thanks to those who reviewed! If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask, and if there's anything you feel I did badly or didn't understand in the story, let me know and I'll do my best to rectify or explain why I did what I did. And, if anyone notices a mistake, point it out so I can fix it!

_**Text** _

**(1) Derde Stad:**  Dutch, literal translation courtesy of Google is Third Town

 **(2) Zesde Plaats:**  Dutch for Sixth Town

 **(3) Vijfde Stad:**  Dutch for Fifth Town

 **(4) Achtste Stad:**  Dutch for Eighth Town

 **(5) Ando:**  I got this name from the TV show Heroes. Pronounced: Ahn-doe, Japanese name

 **(6) Itzhak:**  Hebrew variant of the name Isaac. I'm going to pronounce it the American way for this story, so please read it as Eet-zahk. Hebrew way is: Yitz- chahk, I think. Source is from Yahoo answers.

 **(7) Cirque de Cristal:**  Literally Circus of Crystal, French translated by Google

_**Response to Reader Reviews** _

**Rin:**  Thanks! I'm glad to hear that you enjoy this story. :)

 **PINKhairedBADASS:**  Thanks, let me know what you liked about it!

 **dgraymangrl:**  Well, if you check the published date on the story info, this fic has been up since 2010, two years ago exactly. However, I have only been updating on three days each year, so as you can tell, there haven't been many chapters. And sorry, ffn won't let me capitalize your name.

 **scarf:**  Thank you for the lovely review and your permission should I decide to incorporate your idea into this story. I'm glad you liked Lala, Bea, and Tim—I'm beginning to like them a lot as well :) Princess Ida and Tyki are sneaky-sneaky, but we'll just have to wait to find out what else they have planned.

_**Length of Entire Text and Afternotes** _

Twelve pages of Microsoft Word


	8. Separated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: August 5th, 2012 - Happy Birthday Bookman!

The next morning, Kanda woke up to the sounds of birds. Always a light sleeper, it was no surprise that he stirred earlier than most. Slowly, he remembered where he was: in a tent of one of Cirque de Cristal's guest tents and it had been approximately two days since he left the castle.  _Three_ , his mind amended, counting today. He opened his eyes and sat up, grimacing at the small cricks in his bones. Rolling his neck, he worked out the tension and then walked out of the tent and breathed in deeply the fresh crisp air. At this time in the morning, it was quiet, just the way he liked it. Silently, he debated whether he wanted to meditate with a bunch of strangers around. It wasn't ideal, but it could be done.

Screw it. Kanda scanned the area and then walked away from camp, stopping at a relatively obscure spot several paces away and sat down, eyes closed. Steadily, he took in Nature's energy and became one with the environment, visibly relaxing and releasing more tension from his body. He felt all the bad feelings melt away from him, everything that irritated him slipping from his mind, including last night's encounter with the noisy moyashi. Kanda frowned as the memory came back to him. He hadn't wanted to reply because he didn't feel like it. He never understood why people felt the need to make unnecessary chatter: some silences weren't meant to be filled. Kanda let the feelings ebb away from his body.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Mm, Yuu." A soft voice whispered beside the swordsman's ear. Kanda ignored it, and the voice continued on. "You should head back inside, you're really exposed."

"What do you mean," Kanda murmured in response, not bothering to make it a question.

"Well, you've forgotten your cap disguise, 's all. Do you want me fix it for you right now?"

". . . They're still asleep."

"They won't be for long. Do you need my help or can you do it yourself?"

"I'm fine."

"M'kay."

Kanda stood up when Lavi left him and walked back into the tent. On the way there, he heard someone walking past him speak. "My, I'd never have guessed." It was one of the circus members, and Kanda whipped around to stare at the speaker, but only empty air faced him. Frowning he entered his tent. A glance at the tent's interior showed him that Lavi had already put away their belongings, so he didn't bother himself with it. Minutes later, he recreated the hairstyle from the day before. After that he double-checked his pack to ensure that nothing was stolen. Satisfied, he took the bags outside and then collapsed the tent. When Lenalee approached him ten minutes later, she was surprised to see the tent already packed away into a neat bundle. Noticing her presence, he tossed the bag behind him with only a "Catch" for a warning. She caught it of course, even though she had been caught off guard, but didn't hold it against him.

"Good morning Ando," Lenalee greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning." Kanda replied, picking up his bag with one hand and Lavi's with his other.

"Are you going already?" Lenalee asked curiously, and Kanda looked at her innocent face.

"Not yet, the rabbit will want to eat first." Kanda replied and Lenalee smiled. "Is that your nickname for Itzhak?" She giggled. "It's cute!"

Kanda resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead searching her face. "Lenalee, can you give me the directions to Zesde Plaats?"

"Sure thing! Do you want me to show you on the map, or will you be okay listening to my verbal directions?"

"Verbal directions will be fine, thank you."

"Okay, follow me!" Lenalee said, her voice full of chipper and she lead Kanda over to the other side of the clearing. She stopped and pointed for Kanda to see. "So from here if you go straight, eventually you'll run into a big apple tree. A short distance from that apple tree will lead you to a dirt road that splits into two paths, and you'll want to take the left one. After that, if you stick on it and don't stray off, you'll reach your destination in no time!"

"Thank you," Kanda told her as he committed her words to memory.

"No problem. I'm just happy to help." Lenalee replied. "But, I should let you know something."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she continued in a serious tone, looking into his eyes. "We'll be going the same way in two hours after breakfast so that the other members have time to pack and practice some of their skills. Would you mind it too much if you stayed with us just a  _little_  bit longer?" Her purple eyes stared searchingly into his own dark blue ones. Grudgingly he felt himself give into her will, unable to resist her pleading eyes.

"Well, since we'll be traveling the same way partly, I don't suppose why not." She beamed at him happily, and he quickly added, "Besides, we should really meet the person who's in charge. It's only proper manners for allowing us to stay."

"Of course, of course." Lenalee replied. His sharp eyes noticed Lenalee's smile falter the slightest, but chose not to comment on it. He respected the privacy of others and required the same from others. "Well, let's go find the other two! Then, we can begin our grand tour!" Lenalee clapped her hands enthusiastically and walked off with the intent of finding the others. Kanda, shouldering the bags, walked alongside her.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Not moments after he walked away from Kanda, Lavi saw Lenalee and Allen approaching. "Ah, mornin' Moyashi, Lenalee!" Lavi greeted his new friends with a big smile on his face as he walked over towards them.

Allen scowled at the nickname Lavi insisted on using and Lenalee gave him a friendly smile back.

"Why do you have to call me that?" Allen demanded.

"Morning, Itzhak." Lenalee said, taking the attention away from Allen. "Is Ando still asleep?"

Lavi shrugged. "Eh, you could say something like that. So, wanna give me directions to Zesde Plaats?"

Lenalee looked at him in surprise. "Are you planning to leave now?"

Allen looked equally surprised. "Yeah, I thought you wanted a tour of the place."

Lavi laughed. "'Course not! I just don't want to leave and then realize I'm lost."

Allen smiled. "Oh, I hate when that happens. I have a horrible sense of direction, so I stick to Lenalee when we go to new places."

Lenalee nodded understandingly. "Yeah, that's why we don't follow Allen ever unless he knows it like the back of his hand. Like the kitchen area, because he spends a lot of time there. And he never gains any weight." She said everything but the last sentence brightly—that one she muttered darkly, causing Allen and Lavi to get the chills. "Ok, follow me." Lenalee said, reverting to her usual self and leading them to the edge of the clearing.

"So from here if you go straight, eventually you'll run into a big apple tree. From that apple tree forward will lead you to a dirt road. It's one at first but splits into two paths later, and you'll want to take the left one when the time comes. Stick to it and you'll reach your destination in no time!" Lenalee peered at him. "Any questions?"

Lavi shook his head. "Nope, thanks for your help Lenalee."

Lenalee smiled back at him. "Glad to be of help."

"Just one more thing. Don't tell Ando you already told me, or he'll make us go before you guys do." Lavi winked her, causing a laugh to come out.

"Alright." Lenalee looked over to where the guest tent was set up. "I need to go talk to Mimi for a minute, and then I'll go check up on Ando."

"Good idea. We'll catch up with you later."

Lavi glanced at Allen. "Did you eat already, moyashi? I'd expected for your stomach to have rumbled by now." He said teasingly.

Allen scowled at him. "Do you have to keep calling me that? I'm not a beansprout you know. And yeah, I already ate."

Lavi laughed and clapped him on the back. "Aww, don't be like that, short stuff. I'm just teasin'."

Allen spluttered at the nickname. "What is with the short jokes?" He demanded. "I'm only fifteen, you know!"

"You poor kid," Lavi said, ignoring him. "Eating so much and never growing an inch taller." Lavi patted his head. "There's nothing to be done about it. Hey, maybe your growth spurt will kick in next year, huh?" He grabbed Allen's arm and towed him off. "Come on, let's go look at the animals! You have elephants right?"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda and Lenalee found Allen and Lavi by the animals, or more specifically, the monkeys. Cirque de Cristal didn't have very many animals, but the few they owned consisted of three monkeys, four birds, a lion, two dogs, and two horses. These animals were the ones that were trained to perform with the circus members.

"It's too bad you guys don't have any elephants," Kanda and Lenalee heard Lavi remark to Allen as they came closer. "I think it'd be cool to ride on one."

"I guess, but if we had elephants, it would be hard to keep traveling around." Allen told him.

"But you have a lion. A  _lion_. That's even more dangerous than an elephant." Lavi pointed out.

Allen shrugged. "I can't tell you why we have the animals we do – I'm not the one who chooses them."

"Who's in charge of them?" Lavi inquired.

"That would be Suman," Lenalee interjected and the two turned around in surprise. They had been so busy chatting that they hadn't noticed the approach of their friends. "Suman takes care of the animals we have and trains them. Whoever works with them also has to train them so they can work together well."

"Lenalee! Ando!" Lavi exclaimed. "There you are! Ando, look at the monkeys." He motioned for Kanda to move closer and the other did so with a little hesitation, depositing Lavi's bag in the redhead's hands when he passed him.

Kanda studied the monkeys, but was careful not to go to close to the cage. He knew from first-hand experience how mischievous monkeys could be, and he had no wish for them to steal the hat from his head. The monkeys were all brown in color but Kanda could see that each had a different shade. From beside him, Lenalee and Allen explained the monkeys' names and roles within the circus. They told him that one brown monkey was a new one, recently purchased from Vijfde Stad.

"Right now, we're just letting him get used to the other two," Lenalee explained. "Whenever Suman thinks he's ready, then the training starts."

"That one is Vicky," Allen said, pointing at the lighter brown monkey in the cage. "She's trained as a pick-pocket, so be sure not to go near her with anything valuable on you."

"And Joshua there usually performs with the acrobats. He's very agile." Lenalee said, pointing at the monkey darker than the others. She added in a lower voice, "We all think those two are mates, because they're fairly affection towards each other, but seeing as it's been a year and no babies produced, we might be revising that statement."

Kanda raised a delicate eyebrow up. "Did you purchase them for that purpose?"

Allen shook his head. "Not at all, and we got them separately two years ago. It just happened that they're the opposite gender. Vicky was here first."

"Let's look at the birds!" Lenalee steered their direction to the cage hosting the birds. "Allen, you showed Itzhak already, right?"

Allen nodded. "Yeah, I did. He likes Casper." The three glanced over to where Lavi was. Finding him safe beside the lion cage, Lenalee began to introduce the birds.

"Okay, so the south eastern blue jay is Casper, the white dove is Melody, the cardinal is Flora, and the goldfinch is Timcampy. Timcampy isn't like the others because he belongs to Allen and doesn't perform well with some of the other members."

"I suppose he eats as much as his owner." Kanda remarked, earning a glare from Allen.

"Hey, don't make fun of Tim. He's the only thing I had when I joined this circus."

"You should just make sure the lion doesn't eat him. Or the other birds, for that matter." Kanda replied.

Allen gave a harrumph. "Actually, Tim is a natural Houdini. I can't count how many times he has been on the brink of death only to escape the jaws of nature at the very last minute." Kanda noted he was rather smug at that fact.

"So where did you get him at?"

"My father gave him to me." Allen responded, his voice going quiet at the memory.

"Condolences for your loss." Kanda replied after a moment, knowing that what Allen was feeling. "Are the others special too?"

"Yes, they've been trained to accent the performers' act." Lenalee replied. "I think Suman plans to acquire more birds in Vashekla."

"This is Pongo and Perdita," Allen said, bringing out two large Dalmatians. "They're the most behaved animals in our group besides the horses. Everyone loves them."

Lenalee rubbed the top of Pongo's head while Kanda stood still and allowed the two dogs to get his scent. Allen brought over the performing horses next. "Meet Spot and Leap." Kanda petted them with more fondness—he recalled his own beloved stallion left behind at Ardua and missed him at that moment.

"They're well cared for," he observed, instinctively checking for signs of abuse, and was relieved at finding none.

"Of course," Allen said. "Suman loves those two the most."

"How did you get them to tame around the lion?" Kanda wondered.

"Magic, by the previous owner of the lion." Lenalee supplied.

While Allen led the dogs and horses away, Lenalee and Kanda made their way over to Lavi who was still in front of the lion.

"And this is Kane, the lion." Lenalee said, and turned to Lavi. "Itzhak, you really like him, huh?" Lenalee asked, and Lavi gave her a grin.

"Yup, sure do! I'm fascinated by him, actually. Do you feed him well here?"

"Pretty well." Lenalee gave Lavi a curious look. "Do you own a lion, Itzhak?"

Lavi let out a laugh. "Nope." He stretched and then beckoned Kanda over. "Wanna see the lion, Ando?"

"I suppose." Kanda came near to observe Kane for a couple of minutes. Then, they all left to meet the rest of the crew.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

While sitting on the bench for breakfast, and Lenalee and Allen pointed out circus members to Kanda and Lavi.

"As you know, there's Mei-Ling, who is our resident fortune-teller." Lenalee said, gesturing in the girl's direction. She was busy polishing her crystal ball. "There used to be a different person, but he quit years ago."

"Oh? Did you know the previous guy?" Lavi inquired interestedly.

"Yeah, although he was more like a child, to tell you the truth." Lenalee said. "It's said that he we went home to his parents, but we've never heard from him since he left except for the two sparse letters he sent to reassure us that he made it safely to his destination. Mei-Ling joined us a month later."

"Fascinating." Lavi said. "Do you think you'll ever see him again?"

Lenalee nodded. "Absolutely. This circus travels far and wide. If it's meant to be, I have faith that we will see him again."

Changing the subject, Allen pointed to a younger girl with light-blue hair dolled in two short pigtails. "Over there is Mimi. She's one of our best acrobats." Mimi was practicing her spins and leaping around the clearing where there was space. Two other young girls cartwheeled between her acts under the careful supervision of a taller man. "The two girls are Courtney and Daja, and that tall man is Dr. Joseph."

"Chaoji is Suman's assistant in taking care of the animals." Lenalee turned their attention to a man putting away some of the circus equipment. "He's also very strong," she added.

"Suman is in charge of this circus, but he doesn't own it. We don't know who does, but we're glad to work with him. He's not like other leaders, being kind in addition to fair." Allen said, directing their attention to a taller and slightly burly man by the main caravan wagon. "Believe me, there are many that are not."

"Can we meet him now?" Lavi wondered.

"Sure, why not?" Lenalee said, and they all got up to greet Suman.

"Suman, this is Ando and Itzhak. They are our guests from last night." Lenalee informed him.

Kanda stepped forward. "Thank you for your hospitality. We greatly appreciate it."

Suman smiled at him. "It's not problem, Ando. Nice to meet you and Itzhak." He shook both of their hands and then told Lenalee and Allen to help pack up. "We're heading out in five minutes, so make sure you have everything."

Five minutes later, with everything packed, the circus and their two stragglers began moving. Pretty soon, they passed an apple tree, and then came to the fork in the road. Lenalee hugged both Lavi and Kanda goodbye while Allen told them he hoped to see them in the future.

"We'll be sure to catch one of your shows," Lavi promised. "Bye!"

He waved at them and the groups went their own separate way, the circus headed right and the travelers going left.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lenalee's directions held true, and after walking down the path, Kanda and Lavi arrived at their destination, Zesde Plaats, Ektona's sixth village. Unlike Derde Stad, Zesde Plaats was smaller. However, it was no less busy, filled with shops and people. Instead of touring the town, they checked into an inn first, Kanda determined to have a quiet day. At the inn, Lavi picked up a brochure about camping. He was instantly hooked onto the idea.

"Come on, please?" Lavi begged while Kanda lay on the bed, reading a book.

"No, rabbit." Kanda said, trying to focus on his book. It was rather hard to do since the usagi's voice kept interrupting him.

"Yuu, it'll be fun."

"Go away. I want to read."

"Okay, how about after?"

"We just got here baka. Stop pestering me or else." Kanda glared at Lavi, willing for him to leave him alone.

"Fine!" Lavi threw his hands up in air in defeat and stalked out of the room.

Kanda breathed a sigh of relief.  _Finally_ , he thought, and then turned back to his novel.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

But Lavi was not to be deterred. He brilliantly thought of a plan. They  _had_  to go camping if they had all the equipment and route, as well as a list of activities. Eavesdropping on other people, he found out that camping was an often occurrence in Zesde Plaats. Families went to the woods all the time, but everyone stayed within the borders. After all, if they got lost in the Alpine Forest, it could be weeks before they were found. Nevertheless it was noted as everyone's favorite pastime, so Lavi gained many answers to questions.

Within three hours, Lavi's plan was completely outlined in his head. He had reasons why they should go, responses to Kanda's typical attempts to shut down the ideas, and a list of activities that would hopefully persuade Kanda to agree.

He headed back to the inn; sure that Kanda had finished his novel by now.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda had just closed his book when Lavi came into his room. He rolled his eyes. Typical of the rabbit to return just as he finished, he thought. Warily, he eyed the other, sure of something crazy behind his sleeve.

"What do you want?" Kanda asked.

"Well, I thought about your words, and you were right." Lavi flopped down on Kanda's bed beside him. "We just got here, we might as well enjoy ourselves before do some more traveling, especially before we go into the Alpine Forest—you  _know_  that we won't see anybody but ourselves for  _weeks_  once we journey in there."

Kanda narrowed his eyes at Lavi, suspicious of his intent. "So, you don't want to go camping," he ventured to say, testing the waters.

Lavi let out a laugh. "Yuu, of course we're still going. Just not now. Don't worry, you'll love it, trust me. Besides, I've already planned out everything! Wait 'til you hear it all." Lavi beamed at him.

Kanda frowned. Lavi would ramble forever if he could, and Kanda could only hope that whatever he said would be short easily ignored.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

He had no such luck as Lavi told him what he had learned from the townspeople during lunch.

"Everyone here goes camping. But none of them ever go into the Forest, so we won't be pestered by other people. There's not much gear needed, but we still have to be prepared. I say we get a tent and some extra blankets. I don't want to freeze to death you know." Lavi told him matter-of-factly.

"Why do we have to go camping?" Kanda asked.

Lavi looked at him clearly in the eye. "What else would we do? If you have any other plans, please say so right now, because I think we both know that you left without a destination in mind."

Kanda blinked, at a loss for words. What Lavi had said struck a chord within him. What was his true goal, he wondered. Of course, he already knew, that thought had been niggling in his mind since the moment he woke up in the morning and he realized he was not under his parent's roof. He wouldn't admit it.

"You know, for the first time, you have a freedom. No one will be watching you or expecting something from you. You're one among many here, and won't warrant a lot of attention if you play it safe. Camping, without the supervision of others is perfectly safe. We're not toddlers anymore. Come on, you gotta live some before you go back." Lavi continued, his one eye looking searchingly into Kanda's own.

Although the idea started to seem appealing, Kanda refused to give in so easily. "We don't know where they are and what they know," he argued. "What if we get found sooner than we'd like?"

It was a rhetorical question that needed no answer because they both knew that if they were found, Kanda would incapacitate them or Lavi would talk them out of it. Either way they would escape. Lavi answered it anyway. "Although there is the possibility, I'm sure it can be avoided." He could see Kanda become more accepting to the idea, but knew there wasn't any way the other would give in to his suggestion so fast. His pride wouldn't let him.

"Is there any way you could locate them?"

Lavi shook his head. "Not without them being able to find us in return. You know gramps. He would find us so much faster if I did anything of the sort. It's better to go on like this."

"I'll consider it, but don't for a second think that I'll agree."

"Of course," Lavi said, but didn't do anything to stop the grin keep off his mouth. He took another bite of his lunch. "So, how long do you want to stay here?"

Kanda shrugged. "A couple of days at most. We need to plan a route." As much as he didn't want to admit it, Lavi was right. When he left, he had not been thinking clearly. And if he were to follow his true heart's desire, he would still not know where to look.

"Sounds good."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

For the next two days, Kanda and Lavi restocked their supplies and devised a route of travel, taking care to plan each detail meticulously. In between trips or whenever there was time for it, Lavi told Kanda about camping. He talked of the various activities they could do, such as fishing, hunting, and training.

"Imagine if you will, greenery around us. No other humans about, the entire day to hone your skills. Come on, I know you've been dying to practice with Mugen. You've meditated a lot, but you haven't yet had a chance to pick up your blade since our journey began. Whaddya say?"

"You forgot about that crazy candy girl." Kanda said.

Lavi waved it off. "Well, since it wasn't exactly training, it doesn't count."

Kanda thought about it. Yes, he had missed practicing with his sword, but he wasn't  _dying_  from the lack of it. As far as he was concerned, there was plenty of time to hone his skills later. Kanda decided Lavi could continue to persuade him, he hadn't yet found a reason he liked, but was coming awfully close.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Think about it, no need to talk to people for  _days_!" Lavi exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Except you." Kanda remarked bluntly.

"Yeah, well you love talking to me so it doesn't count. Besides, you  _need_  me! I'm your bodyguard!"

Kanda snorted. "Please. I'm stronger than you and we both know it." He rolled his eyes at the thought of Lavi actually for once trying to do his job as his bodyguard. That silly goofball was the one that needed protecting, and from his own self, especially when he was trying to concoct up outrageous spells without guidance or supervision. He didn't think of the few times when Lavi showed a different, more serious side of him, fully knowing those times rare, few, and in between.

Lavi put his hands on his hips. "You say that, but we both know who can handle the masses better," Lavi said sternly, adding, "And who'll be held responsible should anything happen."

Kanda waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing will happen."

Lavi's smile split wide. "Exactly! So we can go without worry."

Kanda glared at him when he realized he had fallen into the rabbit's trap. He was facing a two-pronged spear. Either he would go camping or he would get no further help from Lavi, added to the fact that his family loomed over him like a hawk in search of prey. As a prince, Kanda could handle the masses pretty well. But it would be in the manner of a royal, not a commoner, which would be a dead giveaway.

"If you've got so much prepared, then I suppose it would be a waste to let it rot." Kanda finally stated, and Lavi's smile split even wider, if that was possible. "We leave in three days. As nice as Zesde Plaats is, we've spent enough time here. It's time to move on."

Lavi nodded, knowing not to push further. "Whatever you say." He would have added a flourishing bow to accommodate his words, but they were best saved for another time.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

True to his word, Kanda led them out of Zesde Plaats early in the morning three days later, headed towards Alpine Forest. The Alpine Forest was nothing like the forests in each country. While those forests were tame, the Alpine Forest was a wilderness that yielded to no man. It was large and marked the border between the countries on the left and right side of the continent. One could not go inside it and not expect to get lost, especially if they traveled alone. Though countless people were able to travel through this particular plot of land, few wished to do so. The ones who chose to go through were those who needed to, and yet they chose to leave plenty of time between traveling in and out of the forest.

The Alpine Forest was named after Alpine, the man who united all five countries of the land into a life-long truce after twenty years of warfare. He was born from the streets and was beaten countless times, yet he advocated peace, striving to make the warfare stop. With great strength and determination, he succeeded, to the disbelief of others, and put a stop to the war. The leaders of all countries signed the Treaty of Union and then Alpine raised the Forest, declaring the day the Treaty of Union broken would be the day that the countries would be no more, even the island country of Palauhikila which was not connected to the land like the other countries. Not willing to chance against Alpine's powerful will, the five countries made it into a law that the Treaty of Union was never to be broken. Alpine was widely respected by commoners and royals alike for putting an end to the warfare, and his part in history was penned into whole chapter.

Kanda and Lavi traveled deeply into the forest, wandering past shrubs, vines, and trees. Brushing past greenery, they encountered many creatures that inhabited the forest. Indeed, Alpine Forest was rich in plant and animal life, the dense vegetation a protection against cunning hunters who sought an easy fortune. Curiously following the trail of some wild deer, they soon found themselves at a wide clearing.

The clearing was better than Lavi had hoped to find and he immediately got to work setting up camp, humming as he went. Kanda set down his burdens and left to explore their immediate surroundings, hoping to find a source of water nearby. He was satisfied to discover a thin blue stream of water and followed it upstream, leading to a small lake. Glancing down at its depths, Kanda was satisfied to see some multitude of fish swimming beneath the waters. When they ran out of their supplies they would still be able to survive. He picked up a stone and tossed it into the water, watching it sink down, dispersing the school of fish before landing on the hard soil below. Judging the stone, Kanda knew that part of the water to be shallow. But he knew the waters in the middle would be deeper, because of the fish. He also noted several other strands that led away from the lake in addition to the one that led him there, but didn't concern himself over it. The Alpine Forest was a dense body, filled with magic and what some believed was the will of the late Alpine himself as a guardian. It was known to randomly shift everything in different directions, and Kanda had no intention of losing his path. He turned around and walked back to his companion's location, gathering several branches and twigs strewn on the ground along the way. It would serve to feed the fire they would build that night.

"Yuu, there you are!" Lavi said from his beside his pack without looking at his companion, having noted Kanda's return by his footsteps. He turned to see the other with several branches in his arms. "I finished setting up camp. What did you discover?"

"A stream that leads to a lake is up north. It's filled with fish, so we can catch some if we run out of food." Kanda set down his findings by the stones set in a circle. Lavi had marked that to be their campfire area, complete with an empty bucket nearby for casing water to put out the fire before they went to bed.

They spent the rest of the day in easy leisure doing what they both loved best: training and reading. For meals they ate the ones they had brought with them from the town, and before they went to bed they lay on the grass contentedly staring up at the twinkling white stars above them.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The days afterward continued much like that with some variances. With no others around, they spent a considerable amount of time together, leading them to bond together more than they had before. They talked about various things, ranging from the past to people to objects to the economy to the future they were headed towards and more. Kanda admitted to seeking out something he hardly dared hoped to find and Lavi spoke of reconciling with a sibling Kanda had never even known he had. In addition to meditation, Kanda and Lavi sparred together at odd hours each day. They fished, played cards, explored the streams connected to the lake, tracked animals, swam, ran and climbed, savoring the exhilarating freedom they found in the Alpine Forest caused by both the natural fresh air and by the magic it possessed.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The two friends were knee-deep in the water, their pant legs rolled up high to avoid getting wet, their shirts laying on the grass not far from the water. Their food supply had ran out that morning so they decided to catch some fish. Since the creatures were a little on the skinny side, they agreed that they would need to catch several to sate their appetite.

"Look! Look!" Lavi exclaimed excitedly. "I caught one, I caught one!" Triumphantly the redhead turned to his friend, a squirming fish held in his hand.

Nearby, Kanda was still, his dark gaze intent on the water, concentrated. Suddenly his arm shot out downwards. When he retracted it, he held two squirming fish by the tails. While Lavi gawked, he waded out of the water and set the fish down in the bucket by their shirts.

Lavi glared and tossed his fish at Kanda. Without bothering to check if the other received it, he returned his attention back to the lake's depths. Holding himself still, he waited.

On the bank, Kanda caught the tossed fish and put it in the bucket with the rest of his catch. He had caught four fish already and Lavi only one so far. Deciding it was enough for now, Kanda picked up his shirt from the grass and pulled it on, then waited for Lavi to finish up.

"Ha!" The redhead gave off another triumphant cry and held up two fish in his left hand and one fish in his right. Kanda gave a nod, impressed. He only used one hand, after all. Lavi waded back to him and dumped his catch into the bucket before picking up his shirt.

The two proceeded to walk back to their campsite.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi whistled, avoiding another blow. "Still sharp, aren'tcha Yuu?" He brought his hammer up to block the sword.

"You're not bad yourself, usagi." Kanda responded, continuing his assault and forcing the other back.

After finding out they had stayed in the Alpine Forest for approximately three weeks, they decided that they should move on the next day. This would then be the last time for them to train, their camping adventure done with.

Though Kanda barraged Lavi with attacks, the latter held his own pretty well, never letting Mugen graze past him for even a second. Although Kanda was the best swordsman in Ardua, Bookman was one of the few people who could defeat him in battle, prompting him to hone his skills further. As Bookman's apprentice, Lavi was also skilled, but preferred not to fight, instead devouring old lore one after the other. The only times Lavi fought Kanda was when the latter was in a bad mood or ran out of partners to train against. While Lavi seldom defeated Kanda during these bouts, he always managed to hold his own against Kanda, which everyone knew was no easy feat.

While Kanda kept Lavi on the defensive for most of the match, it wasn't long before Lavi turned the tables and pushed Kanda back with as much ferocity the other had emitted. It was Kanda's turn to block while being pushed back, forced to stay on the defensive. Fighting against a hammer wasn't the same as fighting against another sword. For one thing, a sword could not swing into you and knock you several feet away into a tree. And a sword definitely could not bend as much as Lavi's hammer did.

Lavi's chosen weapon was no ordinary hammer. Forged by Zhu, it was a weapon of strength and durability. Imbued with Lavi's magic, it became unwise to underestimate. For instance, the hammer could grow to astonishing proportions on merely a whim by the redhead, shrinking in the same moment. For this match, Lavi had promised to keep things fair by keeping the hammer at a reasonable size and not use any other of its magical properties. Though its official name was Tettsui, Lavi fondly called his hammer Ozuchi Kozuchi.

Eventually the battle's tide returned to Kanda and with a final two strokes he disarmed Lavi, the hammer imbedding itself into the grass by the cross. Facing the tip of Mugen, Lavi had no choice but to yield, making Kanda yet again the victorious fighter.

Moving Mugen away, Kanda reached forward with his free hand, extending help to Lavi and pulled him up from the ground.

"Thanks Yuu." Lavi dusted off his pants.

"You're welcome." Kanda sheathed his blade as Lavi moved to retrieve his, the object shrinking back to a more transportable size.

Their workout had exhausted them for the moment, but they were grateful to release their pent up energies. Walking over to his pack, Kanda took out a clean set of clothes and went to the stream to cool himself off. He changed clothes, washed his old ones, and returned to the campsite while Lavi went off to do the same. In less than half an hour, the two were finished, packed and ready to leave.

They traveled to a small waterfall and followed the water at the top eastward. That particular waterfall was one of the known landmarks of Alpine Forest. Due to the fact that the forest could randomly change at any time, it was difficult to pinpoint locations onto a map. Luckily, cartographers had marked landmarks that helped to orientate the general population. From there, Lavi and Kanda could approximate their distance to the next country. They estimated from the map that it would be a four-day journey if they traveled swiftly. Six days at the most.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

For the next two days they traveled without any problems. On the morning of the third day, Lavi left Kanda for just a moment to check their position. A few seconds later, Kanda sensed the presence of other human beings.

"I know you're there," he called loudly. "Show yourselves."

Two people immediately leapt out of their hiding spots and rushed at him. He defended himself, but his attackers were no ordinary people. Big and burly, these two obviously favored their muscles rather than their brains. Kanda hoped for this because he could use it to his advantage. With calculated moves, he dodged their blows and made sure his blade bit back.

For two tough men, they were surprisingly agile, moving when he thought they would not. But that mattered not. With two strokes he felled the men, and was about to knock them out when he felt something prick at his neck. He paused, and felt a hand over it, pulling out a red dart. He tossed it to the ground and his eyes darted over to the side where it had come from. He hadn't noticed the hidden third assailant and he cursed his hindsight.

"Usagi!" he roared loudly, hoping Lavi had heard all the fighting commotion and was returning. Already he felt the effects but refused to accept defeat. He charged at the hidden figure with a snarl but was slammed to the ground by one of the burly men who still had some fight in him.

Kanda shoved him away and cut his opponent's leg, drawing an angry red line and an anguished howl from the man. Kanda shakily came to a stand, but needed Mugen for support as much as he loathed it.

"Yuu!" he heard from somewhere behind him, and knew it was Lavi. "Tch! It's about time you got here. I never pegged you for the deaf type you know."

"Haha, very funny." Lavi retorted, swinging his hammer at the other burly man who was charging at him, knocking him into a tree. With him out of the way, he rushed toward his friend, only to be caught by surprise at another man who came from the side. He now knew there were more than two attackers and cursed the fact he hadn't noticed sooner, but seeing his friend in trouble had made him hasty. "Oof!" The buff man proceeded to beat his body blue, giving Lavi no time to retaliate. Lavi was hesitant to use magic and his weapon had been knocked out of his grip so he couldn't use it to force the other off. Even though he was skilled at hand-to-hand combat, Lavi could not escape from the weight of the other man and his forceful blows.

Kanda couldn't afford to spare a glance back at Lavi, but he did, and his opponent used that distraction to his advantage. The man punched and Kanda raised his arm to block it, but his body was already weak from the poison so he could do nothing. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, unconscious.

Lavi saw this from where he was at, but couldn't make a sound from the beating he was receiving to his body.

"Leave him, Vard," he heard a voice say from beside Kanda's position. With a final  _thawk_  to his head, Lavi's assailant left him, walking over to Kanda's unconscious body. Lavi, dizzy, could do nothing but watch as they talked, struggling to keep his good eye open.

"Remove that sword. We don't need it too complicate things," a thin, weedy man instructed, obviously the brains of the group. "Vlad, tie him up, blindfold him, and then pick him up. The drug will wear off in three hours and we don't want him to escape." Kanda's burly opponent complied, kicking Mugen away from Kanda.

"Vard, go get Vark. And let's go." The other man picked up his fellow companion and followed his other two companions as they walked away.

Lavi's arm stretched out in front of him weakly, a futile attempt to reach out to his friend as the three burly men and the weedy man carried him out of sight. A whisper lay on his lips unspoken and his vision swam black.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

_**Author's Notes** _

Guess what? A surprise bonus chapter has arrived. Now let's see if I can finish up chapter nine and put it up on Friday, yeah? So, some of the scenes might not be totally accurate and I apologize for that. Let me know if anything is so off that I have to go back and change it. Thanks for reviewing to the last chapter!

_**Response to Reader Reviews** _

**dgraymangrl:** Yes, Lenalee is related to Komui, and as for your second question, I haven't decided yet. But that creates more suspense for you doesn't it?

 **FrozenClaws:**  Thanks! They really would get lost, I think…I'm glad you liked the circus thing, I've been planning it for a while

 **scarf:**  I guess they are more mature for their ages, but Kanda's had responsibility dumped on him since he was young, and Lavi has to be smart to keep up with Bookman. Everything will be fine, and as for Lenalee and Allen, well, they have their own parts to this story.

_**Length of Entire Text and Afternotes** _

Thirteen pages


	9. In Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: August 10th, 2012 – Here's to hoping for another manga update, and one that shows Lavi for once

Fou looked taken aback by Lala's words. "What do you mean?"

"Well, earlier, I saw you look sad or worried when Tim mentioned Lavi. Why is that?"

Fou sighed and bent down so she was level with the kid. "Lala, I'm just worried about Bookman because I talked to him a little while ago, and he seemed worried about Lavi. It's like how your dad is sad and misses you after you've been gone for a long time."

"Really?" Lala blinked her brown eyes. "I didn't know that."

"Well, everyone's sad when they miss someone. It's normal, Lala."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"I know papa is sad sometimes when he's thinking about mom," Lala admitted. "I see it when he doesn't think I'm looking. But why would he miss me? I'm not going anywhere."

Fou ruffled Lala's adorable head. "Parents naturally miss their children.  _I_  think that Lavi should get a note back to Bookman to let him know that he's okay, don't you agree?"

Lala nodded. "Yeah, he should. I'm going to pick some peaches for dad on the way back."

"Atta girl." Fou straightened up. "I'll help you since you can't reach the tall branches." Lala pouted at that and Fou took her hand. "Come on you."

The two walked hand in hand back to their town, picking peaches on their way, and chatting of simple pleasures that brought smiles to both their faces. Soon they arrived at their destination. They separated at the front of Lala's house, and Fou returned Lala's basket, tucking the picked flowers into the front of her shirt pocket. Before she left, Lala gave Fou one last hug and then proceeded to scamper home into the waiting arms of her father.

"Thanks for the flowers," Fou called after her and continued the trek to her bookstore.

Entering, she instantly sensed something was wrong, and her eyes swept around, alert and tense. Nothing seemed out of place, but checking her magical security, she confirmed that someone had entered while the shop was closed. Fou frowned; the signature wasn't of anyone she knew and from the looks of it, the intruder wasn't gone, either.

Cautiously, she edged forward, and halted in her tracks.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Papa, I'm home!" Lala surged over to where her father sat at his table whittling away at a block of wood, depositing her basket by the door.

"Lala!" The weathered man put down his carving knife and enveloped his daughter into a hug. "My little songbird, there you are. Where did you go today?"

"I went out for a walk and picked a couple flowers for Fou, Papa." Lala told him, sitting on his lap. "I also talked to Timothy today."

"The young prince?" Guzol looked at his daughter curiously. "What did you two talk about?"

"Well, don't tell anyone, but Prince Kanda's gone." Lala told him in a conspiratorial whisper. "And Timothy's sad because he misses him."

"Prince Kanda's gone? How terrible. What happened?" Lala's father asked, genuinely concerned.

Lala could only shrug helplessly. "I don't know. All I know is that he's gone."

"That's very unfortunate." Guzol glanced at his pile of carved wood. It was unfinished, but beginning to take shape. Not liking the thought of his daughter sad, he said, "Why don't I make something for the young lad?"

Lala looked up at him with wide eyes. "You would do that, Papa?" He nodded at her and she beamed at him. "Oh! I forgot." Lala reached into the front pocket of her dress and took out four peaches and put it onto the table. "Fou helped me pick some on the way home."

"Did she now? That's very thoughtful of her." Guzol said, taking a bite out of the peach. "Remind me to thank her when we see her next time."

"I will!"

"Darling, would you like to go buy us some bread from the bakery?"

"Ok!" Guzol handed Lala some coins. Taking it, she hopped off his lap and skipped out the door, grabbing the basket on her way out.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Tyki was rummaging amongst some volumes of text when he heard the bell on the front door sound. He froze and his senses immediately went high on alert. The signature of the person was similar to the magic hidden in the shop. He knew then that it was the owner, and only a matter of time before he was discovered. Well, only if he let it happen. He strode out of the room boldly, and upon exit snapped his fingers.

Tyki walked around the orange-haired woman. She was frozen in place, eyes unmoving, not registering his presence around her, for he had frozen the time around the bookstore. So this was the owner of the store. Not what he had expected, considering her youthful appearance, but also nothing to be too worried about. From what he could tell of the store, she was mediocre in magic. That, or she was extremely skilled at hiding her prowess, but he doubted it.

Pressing his index finger to her forehead he was able to access her most recent memories. Bored from the day's events he saw, he flipped through the days quickly, scanning to find the information he thought she had.  _'Ah ha.'_ Tyki finally found what he wanted. This woman, Fou, had seen and met with Prince Kanda and that redheaded servant from the castle.  _'Curious,'_ he thought, and instantly wanted to delve deeper into her mind to discover more information. Unfortunately his skills didn't extend that far and he didn't have the time for it either. The most he could do was read two weeks of memories and feelings associated with certain people. If he wanted to go further he would need the help of a specialist.  _Or_ , he could do something  _entirely_ different.

He withdrew his index finger and let out a low whistle. There, from the point of his finger emerged a purple and black butterfly. It fluttered in the air before landing on the tip of his outstretched finger, wings a-twitch.

"My delightful Teez," he crooned at the creature, preening its wings gently. "I've got a task for you, darling." He brought it in front of Fou's face. "This woman. I want to you spy on her for me, dearest. It is of the utmost importance. But  _do_ be careful. I would so  _hate_ it if you were caught." He tickled the creature's small chin. "Do we have an understanding?" The small insect gave what seemed like a nod and a small smile grew across his face. Tyki tossed it in the air, finger pointing at the clock on the wall above the desk placed in the shop. The butterfly fluttered through the air up high to the clock. Upon reaching its destination, the butterfly melted into the wall, the majority of its body hidden by the clock, and only a purple wing could be seen. It was now effectively part of the environment.

Satisfied, Tyki turned his attention back to the owner of the shop. "Let's see where you lead us next, shall we?"

Finished with his business, Tyki exited the shop, snapping his fingers as he went, thereby relinquishing back time to the bookstore. From inside, Fou blinked, feeling somewhat dizzy. Tyki walked down the road, passing by a little blonde girl as he went.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lala exited her house, her basket swinging on her arm as she skipped towards the bakery. Nearing Fou's bookstore, Lala paused for a moment, surprised to see a tall man with her friend through the window. He wasn't any one of the townspeople, that was for sure. However, seeing his posture made her think him a customer. Since Fou handled books of all varieties, she often got the strangest customers coming to visit. Lala began walking and ended up passing him by as he exited the shop. While she walked past she couldn't help but notice his distinctive features, handsome and well refined.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Fou blinked, suddenly feeling dizzy as if she was disoriented. Holding herself still, she counted up to five seconds, steadying herself.  _'That was certainly strange,'_ she thought to herself, and continued to edge forward, going through all the rooms in her investigation.  _'Huh. That's strange. I should have found_ something  _by now,'_ Fou thought, a frown creasing her forehead. She tapped into her magical surveillance only to discover that the presence of the intruder was gone. Well, not completely, for there was a faint sense of  _something_ lingering in the air. Yet, spinning around, she couldn't notice anything amiss in her store.

Determined not to be caught unawares for a possible second encounter, Fou renewed her surveillance around the entire building. Passing by some shelves, she looked up and saw the image of purple butterfly wing by her clock.  _'Did I have a butterfly on my wallpaper before?'_ she wondered for a second, but finding nothing else unusual, she dismissed the minor detail, continuing onto the next room.

Finished, she nodded in satisfaction, pleased with herself.  _'I can get Bookman to look over it the next time_   _he comes over.'_ Fou glanced out her window. The sky was soon turning dark. It wouldn't be long before her guests returned, of that she had no doubt.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Bookman and Tsukikami returned to the town when night fell, but they did not enter Fou's shop. Instead, they walked past it and found her waiting for them by the edge of town with a small lantern lit.

"Bookman, Moon Hands, there you are." Fou straightened up. "I was wondering what took you so long."

"Castle business of course," Tsukikami told her.

The three of them abruptly stopped, Fou and Tsukikami had to adjust themselves so they would not bump into him.

"What is it?" Fou whispered.

"Have you found something?" Tsukikami asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Bookman bent down and touched the ground with his finger, testing. "A magical presence has been here. Foreign, but dark. A little bit sweet. And whimsical." He added after a moment. Fou and Tsukikami exchanged a confused glance at each other while Bookman started to scoop up some dirt into a bag.

"So where are the kids?" Tsukikami wondered aloud.

"My assumption is that they were taken by someone else, because all trace of them is gone from here."

Fou gasped. "So they were kidnapped?"

Bookman shrugged. "Probably. However, knowing the two of them, they may have escaped. There is no way to tell for certain unless we see it for ourselves or find them so they can retell their story."

"What do we do now?" Tsukikami asked.

"What can we do?" Bookman retorted. "I shall test theses in my lab. Maybe that Komui will be good for something this time as well."

Heading back into town, Fou told them of what she encountered earlier that day in the shop. Concerned, the two agreed to check her defense. However, they were unable to find anything unusual.

"If you think anything is wrong at all, contact us." Bookman told her sternly. "I'm afraid we may be dealing with some secret force, but it may be too soon to tell. Remember, no detail is too small to overlook."

"Yes, Bookman."

They left her then, hurriedly returning to the castle, eager to examine their findings.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Take this to Komui," Bookman said, handing a bag of dirt to Tsukikami. "And see what you can do with this one yourself." He put another bag into Tsukikami's hand and walked down the corridor to his workshop.

Tsukikami had little trouble finding Komui, and once he explained the situation to the older man, Komui eagerly agreed to find out what he could. After that, Tsukikami went to his office and tried to figure out how to see the past.

In Bookman's workshop, Bookman carefully extracted the magical residue left over in the dirt. It was a difficult task, because he noticed that the original was stale and fading. A stronger, recent presence had also come flittering about.

 _'So I was right,'_ Bookman mused.  _'There is a stronger opponent in play here. But who could it be? The Earl?'_ Having finished extracting the magic, he put them into separate vials.  _'There is no sign of the Earl's presence... but if I'm right, it could just as well easily be a disciple... What of the island princess's advisor? I'll have to gather information, but if I'm right this castle will need all the defense it can get.'_ He studied them, taking note of the thin black tendrils mixed into the other colors, one of pink and the other of teal.  _'Darkness, as I expected.'_  He glanced at the other vial he had set aside. Within that one was the pure red-orange-green of his apprentice's magic. A very faint, small dose, but one he had discovered amongst the other. With that, he could very easily locate the boy, provided he used magic. If not, it would still be helpful in faintly tracking the boy's location, since his magic was his essence. He had a map he used for these occasions, and the darkness in the other vials would be no problem since they were mere residues of harmless spells.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lala returned from the bakery with two delicious loaves of sweetbread wrapped up in her basket.

"Papa I'm home!" Lala called as she did every time she returned to her house.

Guzol was where she had left him, at the family table, still whittling away at his block of wood. "What did you buy for us today?" he asked, setting down his knife and block.

"Sweetbread today, papa. It was on sale so it cost less than usual."

"Good girl. Let's set the table for dinner now."

While Guzol swept away all traces of his work, setting aside his tools on a nearby shelf, Lala got their dinner ready. Alongside the sweetbread she poured cups of milk and set down a peach on the side. The tasty fruit would be their dessert.

When they finished their meal and cleared the table, Guzol resumed his whittling and Lala, sitting across from him, folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them, watching her father work.

**~X.x.X.x.X~**

Guzol was a simple wood carver who lived a fairly simple and honest life. He had been married to his wife for twenty long years until a sickness took her away. But that was not before she gave him a beautiful daughter. He loved his daughter and did his best to raise her by himself with some help from his neighbors. It was a hard life, but one he wouldn't trade for another. While he experienced sorrow from the loss of his wife, their precious daughter brought the light back into his eyes, giving his life meaning.

Growing up, Lala had inherited features from her mother, including her talent of song. What she learned from her father was his habit of never taking something for granted. When she was five, Lala was playing outside of town by herself, going farther until she didn't recognize the area anymore. She kept, walking trying to find her way back, but only continued to get hopelessly loss. Before she could get panicked though, she heard a voice and followed it. There, she met another boy her age, with blue hair and brown eyes. It turned out he was lost as well and had been crying out for help because he had twisted his ankle and couldn't move around too much. That was when Timothy first met Lala.

"Hello. I'm Lala. Are you lost?"

The boy nodded, quieting his sniffles. "Uh-huh. I'm Timothy but you can call me Tim."

"I'm lost too, but Papa will find us." She smiled at him reassuringly, thinking the world of her father. "Want to play a game?"

Timothy nodded and the two forgot their immediate worries for some time.

Hours passed, but there was no sign of any other people. The sky was beginning to get dark now and the two five-year-olds started to get worried. No longer did they feel safe, jumping at the slight noises in the bushes.

"Lala, are you sure your dad's coming?" Timothy asked uncertainly.

"Yes, he will." Lala said determinedly, trying to be brave. "What about your papa?"

Timothy nodded. "He'll find us too. He's the king and he's probably got a gazillion people searching for us."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Lala jumped at the sound of a rustling noise and pressed closer to Timothy, showing her fear. "What was that?" she whispered, nervous.

"Just the wind," Timothy told her reassuringly although he looked quite uncertain himself.

"Maybe we should call out for help some more," Lala suggested and the two started calling out, tiring themselves out.

"D-Don't cry." Timothy stammered when he saw Lala getting shaky.

"I'm cold," she whimpered.

"Me too, but we have to do something so we can be found."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." His shoulders slumped in defeat and he started quivering himself. "I don't know."

Lala was alarmed. "T-Tim, don't cry."

"But we're lost and no one will find us and then we'll get eaten!" Tim lost it and started to cry, his fear of never being found overtaking him.

Timothy hadn't helped matters by painting a gruesome picture but seeing him crying made Lala want to soothe him. "Shh. It'll be alright." Lala began to croon a tune softly. Her voice rose in the still air, higher and pure. Hearing her Timothy began to calm down and just listened to her. She continued to sing, her fears melting away as she took her mind off her fear.

_"Where doth go the blind man wandering, far, far away~ Here doth comes a flash of warmth, leading, leading away~ The blind man goes, striding, striding away and comes upon a broken path~ I walk and walk, down this lonely road~ Will anyone help me find a path?"_

Farther away, a man stopped moving, stark still. Then, he turned to the gathered people. "I hear her! I hear my little girl! This way!" He led them with confident strides, out of the village, singing out loudly as he did so.

_"Which way doth the hunter go, trailing, trailing away~ A sign has marred the tree and tracking, tracking away~ He wanders through, always searching, searching away~ I walk and walk, down this lonely road~ Will anyone help me find a path?"_

Farther away, Lala stopped her song, her ears straining out to a sound in the distance.

"What is it?" Timothy asked.

Lala turned to him with delight in her eyes. "It's Papa! I hear him!" Eagerly, she cleared her throat and began to sing the next verse of the song in a louder voice. Timothy watched her, fascinated

Together, two voices began to twine through the night:

_"Where doth the blind man walking, walking far away find coming up the path~ A hunter as lonely as he is striding, striding far away until the seeing sees the blind~ And together they shout out a greeting, of hellos and safety~ Where, where doth thee go~ I go, go nowhere and everywhere~ Then would you like, to go, together with me~ The destination binds no hearts, spans no stars~ Together the blind man and the hunter searching, striding, tracking, leading, trailing, wandering~ Walk together on an adventure where time matters not~"_

Just as the song ended, the adults crashed through the trees and Lala ran into the open arms of her father. "Papa!"

"Lala! Never go anywhere without first telling me, understand?" He held her close to him.

"Yes, Papa." Lala hugged him back just as fiercely.

"Timothy! There you are!" A taller blue-haired individual strode forward.

"Alma-nii-sama!" Timothy cried and hugged his brother in relief.

"You little rascal, I  _told_ you to stay with me!" Alma scolded. "We looked  _everywhere_ for you!"

Timothy looked at his feet. "Sorry, Alma."

Alma patted his back, eyes softening at the sight of his brother. "It's alright. As long as you promise to stick with us next time."

"I promise."

"Good. Now, are you hurt anywhere?" Alma looked over his brother carefully, and then picked him up when he found the twisted ankle.

With the two children found at last, everyone dispersed back into their homes without worry. The next day, Timothy came to her house with his older brother in tow, the latter formally thanking them for finding the young prince, giving them a small bag of coins for their help. Everyone in the town had been similarly gifted for their efforts.

"Thanks for finding me. You have a great voice." Timothy told Lala shyly.

"Thanks! I'm glad you were with me too." Lala replied also a bit shy.

"Um," Timothy kicked some dirt on the ground, not meeting her eyes. "I don't live around here, but do you want to be friends? I'll come and visit lots, I promise, and we can play anything you want!"

"Sure!" She reached forward and clasped his hands between hers. "We can be best friends! I've never had one before."

Timothy beamed at her. "Me either! Can we?" He looked up at his brother who nodded at him encouragingly.

Lala looked up similarly at her father who nodded, happy his daughter was making friends, and with a prince, no less! It was a fortune that didn't come often.

"Yay!" The two children hugged each other happily, and parted. While Timothy walked ahead of him, Alma stayed behind, looking Lala in the eye.

"Be a good friend to Tim for me, will you?" Lala nodded, her eyes wide and he ruffled her hair with a smile. "Thank you. I know he's in good hands. See you later, Lala!" Alma called as he joined his brother, departing from the town together.

From that day on, Timothy and Lala were the best of friends, no matter that one of them was poor and the other rich. For those two cared only about heart, something taught to them by their families.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

With his knife and a block of wood, he could create works of art. Sure, they weren't all fine lines of perfect skill, but they had heart contained inside. Lala thought that was the best of any kind of work, admired her father greatly. She was often content to spend the day away just sitting down and watching her father create magic.

Although the two did not truly possess magic like that of known sorcerers, Lala was unworried. To her, the ability to make something out of nothing was a magic in itself, and she was proud of her father's hard work. Once, she had said so, defending her father from some traveling tourists who were en route to the Falaron Castle. Lala smiled as she recalled the incident. It had happened two years after she met Timothy, and they were seven years old.

**~X.x.X.x.X~**

Three men had arrived in town, and it was obvious from their looks and mannerism that they were outsiders. Tourists, they had been labeled, because of their admiration of some of the more beautiful decor of town.

In the marketplace, Guzol had been advertising his wares to the public. He sat on a spread of bright green cloth with many wooden carvings on display. Walking by, his carvings had caught the tourists' eyes. Unfortunately, it was shoddy compared to what they usually saw back home, so they began to make fun of him, thinking they were justified to do so because they were richer than him.

They were in the middle of harsh words when Lala arrived, rushing over to stop in front of her father as she heard their insults.

"Stop it!" she cried, with wide arms flung out.

"What'cha doing, girlie?" One of the men asked, peering down at her.

"Lala, don't." Guzol said from behind her, more worry in his tone now that she had arrived.

"Papa, what they say isn't true." Lala told him.

The second man laughed. "Girlie, this is none of your business. We're just helping out, you see? None of this stuff should even be on sale."

"No, this stuff is beautiful and better than anything you ever saw because it's from the heart!" Lala cried out. "My papa worked hard day and night to make these-you can't just trample on them like it's nothing!"

The third man snarled at her. "Oh, but I think you'll find that we can." He raised a foot above one of the wooden animals on display as if too stomp on it, and Lala hurriedly went forward and grabbed it. "You better git, girlie." He told her, and Lala was frightened but refused to back down.

"No, I won't," she said defiantly. "You go!"

"Why you-" he swung a fist at her and she shut her eyes, bracing for the pain to come.

"Lala!" From behind her, Guzol pulled his daughter back into his arms so that the swing of the other man's fist hit only air. He stood and glared at the tourist, putting Lala behind him. "Don't you  _dare_ put a hand on my daughter!"

"Don't talk back to your superiors, you piece of dirt!" The first man spat at Guzol, and the third man swung a fist at the commoner. It was held back by a hand accompanied by a voice, and the man looked in that direction.

"Hey there now. What's going on here?" A redheaded teen asked the stranger, and both Guzol and Lala sighed in relief upon seeing their savior.

"They need to be taught a lesson!" The man retorted, and tried to remove his fist from the other, but the teen held fast.

"And who would you be to administer that lesson?" A cool voice challenged, entering the arena. Unknown to the participants, they had garnered a crowd with their fight, and the two had stepped in to determine the cause, intervening when they thought it had gone far enough.

Regal in his common clothing, those dark blue eyes held only contempt for the strangers who had started this uprising . But common was still common to these ignorant and haughty people. "Us, of course. Do you think you're important, kid? Run along and let the adults handle business matters."

A collective gasp went around the crowd. How dare he talk to the prince like that? It was simply unheard of!

His jaw clenched tight and a flare of anger lit in his eyes. But before he could mouth off a word, the redhead stepped over and whispered something in his ear. A feral smile replaced the clenched jaw, and satisfied, the redhead turned back to the tourists.

"You are completely right!" he said with a smile. "For this you should head up to the castle and petition the king. You've been done a complete injustice and I'm sure the king will definitely take your side."

They looked at him suspiciously. "The King does that?"

He nodded emphatically. "Of course! All subjects are allowed to see the king or another royal to settle disputes or if they just want to see the king in person. Lucky for you, I know someone who knows someone who can put in a good word for you all."

"Really?" A calculating gleam showed in the second man's eyes.

"Of course! It's a Tuesday and the petition line is always open on a Tuesday."

The first man frowned. "But, it'll take us days to get there!"

"Nope. Despite this town being the third, it was built relatively close to the castle. If we start now, we'll have plenty of time to spare. Come on!"

The strangers followed the redhead and the blunet and the townspeople followed them, hardly willing to miss the action that would follow. Walking at a fast pace, they soon entered the city that the castle was housed in. The strangers wanted to slow down to admire the sights, but the blunet encouraged them not to lag. Before long, they found the line that led to the castle, and the redhead told them to wait in line.

"It won't be long now," he told them cheerfully. "We'll just go over to that someone and put in a word for you." They disappeared into the crowd, and the townspeople dispersed, walking around the city as they waited, for the tourists were at the end of the line, and the line  _was_ long.

After  _hours_ of waiting, the three were finally ushered into the castle's throne room. The townspeople went through a different entrance for visiting viewers, eager to see the verdict that the strangers would get. The three strode in, looked up, and collectively gasped at the sight they saw.

Sitting before them on the throne very lazily was the blunet who had led them there. The redhead stood a step below the throne with a piece of parchment held out in front of them.

"You!" they cried, and got hit over the head by the guard who had escorted them in.

"You'll show proper respect towards his highness!" The guard told them gruffly.

" _He's_ the  _king_?!" They cried in disbelief.

The guard scoffed. "Of course not. That's Prince Kanda on the throne, and you'll be quick about stating your business if you want to be heard. The prince is  _not_ a patient man."

"Enough." Kanda waved at the guard and he stepped back. "What brings these people here?"

Regaining himself, the second man spoke. "Your Highness, we have been done a grave injustice. We only hoped to have a pleasant journey, but that merchant insulted us after we politely refused to buy his merchandise. His vile daughter also cursed at us, and we demand a lesson be dealt out." He said, pointing over to where Guzol and Lala stood with the other townspeople in the viewing area. He had figured since the prince hadn't been there in the beginning, they could twist the facts and use it to their advantage.

"How terrible," Kanda said dryly. "But I'm afraid to say that's not what I heard." He pointed to Lavi. "Read the charges."

Lavi cleared his throat and began to speak. "Vlad, Vard, and Vark have been accused of rudeness, slander, violence towards civilians, lying, and insulting yourself, the prince. All of these charges have been verified and accounted to be true."

They gaped at him.

"Very well. This shall be my verdict," Kanda said. "These men are sentenced to two nights in the dungeon, thirty lashes each, and shall be escorted to the nearest border after their nights in the dungeon."

"You-you can't do that!" they cried, pointing an accusing finger at the royal.

Kanda glared at them with steely eyes. "I think you'll find that I  _can_. This is  _my_ kingdom, and  _no one_  is allowed to harass my citizens. Certainly not bumbling, idiot strangers like yourselves. Guards! Escort them to the dungeon."

A collective cheer rang out from the townspeople as they guards took the tormenting tourists away.

As soon as they were gone, Kanda turned his attention to the townspeople.

"People of Terza Città **(1)**!" He called, and they stood alert. "You were lucky that we happened to walk by today, but next time you may not be as lucky." His eyes swept over all of them. "You are citizens of Ardua. And you are the townspeople of Terza Città. Guzol and Lala are one of your own. Were you all just going to sit by and do nothing to stand up for yourselves? Letting some stranger walk all over you is despicable. You might as well be ruled by a tyrant! Next time, if you see something wrong, take reasonable action. Or if the matter is too great for you to handle, alert the guards in your area. Are we clear?"

The people of Terza Città had a mixture of shame and fear on their faces.

"I said,  _are we clear_?"

In unison, they chorused, "Yes Prince Kanda."

"Good." He looked over at some other guards. "Escort the townspeople back to Terza Città."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lavi turned back to Kanda as the people filed out. "There, now. What did I tell you? Feel any better?"

"Tch." Kanda got up and stretched his arms, rolling the cricks out of his neck. "The tension does seem to be gone now." Seeing as how there were no more petitioners, Kanda motioned for the door to be shut as soon as the townspeople left. "But I'd feel better if we actually had some results."

"I'm sure that we'll find your brother."

"We'd better. Come on, I want to go over the reports again." Kanda left the room to go farther into the castle and Lavi followed, but paused by Lala who was lingering at the end of the line on his way out.

"You were right, you know. Hard work makes things beautiful and ten times more valuable." He winked at her. "Good luck kid."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Lala, my songbird, it's getting late." Guzol set down his carving on the table and walked over to his daughter.

"I'm not sleepy." Lala said softly, with droopy eyes.

Smiling, he picked her up, and carried her back into her bed, tucking her in. "Sweet dreams darling."

"Night Papa."

After cleaning up, he blew out the light and retired to his own bed for the night.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

_**Author's Notes** _

So there was a lot more of Lala in this chapter than I had originally intended, but I think it works out quite nicely. Flashbacks made up the long parts of this chapter, so hopefully you guys don't mind too much. I'll still type up chapters for this story, but I cannot guarantee another update any time soon. Also, I'm headed off to college, so any more chapters within this year will be sporadic. I also have to type up chapters for my other continuing story, The Book, a Teen Titans fanfiction. But you can be reassured that some exciting things will happen to our heroes in the next couple of chapters. Thank you all for sticking with me so far and those of you who have continued to do so. ALSO, the song that Lala and Guzol sings, well, I made that up. There is no such song as far as I know.

_**Text** _

**(1) Terza**   **Città** **:**  Italian, literal translation from Google, Third Town

_**Response to Reader Reviews** _

**Dgraymangrl:**  Yup. He's their target after all.

 **FrozenClaws:**  Thanks. I just picked a random yellow bird.

 **erihan:**  I know, it's kinda sad, but all part of the plot.

 **scarf:**  Indeed, but I doubt they would even know what it meant in the first place, since they're all muscle. It would be safe to assume that their victim was calling out for his companion for help. Only logical, right? We'll see how the story progresses from here.

_**Length of Entire Text and Afternotes** _

Twelve pages of Microsoft Word


	10. A New Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: June 6th, 2013 – Happy Birthday Kanda! I hope DGM updates!

With their prize unconscious, the kidnappers had no problem traveling a far distance away from the camp they had just departed from. Several minutes later, when they were satisfied with their safety, they set up their own camp, tying their prisoner up to a tree tightly to prevent escape. After dividing and eating their provisions amongst themselves, they went to sleep on the forest floor. The kidnappers didn't light a fire because they feared their victim's friend would find them, something that would hinder their progress greatly. They slept with great content, for the next day they would journey to their boss and collect their reward.

Or so they thought. The team of four was unaware of the silent figure that observed them. When they fell into slumber, the observing one departed from the scene cloaked in darkness.

Several hours afterwards, Kanda woke up to find himself tied up and his captors all on the floor asleep. Carefully, he tested his bonds, but to his frustration he found that it would not loosen. So Kanda used the time he had to observe his captors, noting their features and the area around him as best he could in the dark. He couldn't make out anything distinguishing, and luck was against him when he figured out that his beloved weapon was probably with Lavi instead of being at his side. Kanda fell back asleep, determined to conserve his energy and escape when the time proved right.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lavi groaned. He felt his body aching from the pain, and for a moment he was disoriented, not able to remember where he was or what he was doing. It was bright, with the sun's morning glow everywhere.

' _Pain. Mostly from my back, arms. Sides ache, but nothing is broken… No internal damage either. I wonder what happened? And, where's Yuu gone?'_  Lavi slowly moved himself into a sitting position, wincing at the pain that laced his body, muttering under his breath a spell to mend his injuries.  _'And my head. Gah, it hurts. I'll need to study more healing spells, even though destruction spells are more fun.'_ He glanced upward, taking in the sight of trees and clear skies. Sweeping his eyes downward he took notice of the trampled grass, like a struggle happened, and then his eyes landed on a glinting object not too far away. But already, at the sight, his memory of the previous day resurfaced, and he scrambled towards it immediately, the pain of his body no longer at the front of his mind.

He picked it up gingerly, eyes tracing over the familiar pattern on the handle of the sword. "Mugen…" He clenched the handle tightly. "Yuu, I promise I'll find you. Just wait for me." With a wave of his hand, he conjured a scabbard for the blade as well as a sword belt and fixed it to his person before looking for his own weapon, the iron hammer. He found it, a black shape amongst the green of where it had been knocked away, and put it on the side opposite of Mugen. Having reclaimed Tessei, he went and retrieved what he could of their belongings, before heading off to find his missing companion, determination fueling his way.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Early the next day Kanda awoke from slumber, his mind clear and his body rested. Absolutely no trace of the drug he had been injected with remained, and with his captors asleep, he took notice of his surroundings, noting anything that could be used as a weapon. They were sleeping quite heavily, and three of them were quite burly as he had noticed the previous day while the fourth man was thin and weedy. _'Cowardly,'_ he thought with narrowed eyes as he remembered who it was exactly that had hit him with the drug. At first he had thought it was poison, but seeing as he felt fine, it was probably just a drug meant to paralyze him before he could defeat them. He would have too, if not for that particular action. Kanda scowled, the memory of it irritating him. Suddenly, his mind jumped back to Lavi. Just where was that usagi? He knew the red-head was strong and could take care of himself. The problem was that he didn't know if they had poisoned, drugged, or murdered the red-head to make sure he couldn't follow them. After all, they had drugged him, so Kanda had little doubts on their choice of drugging or doing worse to Lavi. But Kanda couldn't afford to entertain these negative thoughts. Lavi was smart. He would definitely figure a way out. Kanda strained at his bonds, but his actions for the moment were futile. It was tied too tightly, so that if he moved too much, the rope would dig into his skin. Kanda closed his eyes. He would continue to bide his time then. And when the moment was right, he would strike.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda was aware when the breathing of one man changed and slowly came into the waking world.

"Ugh. Stupid grass. I can't wait to get back in my own bed." The whiny words of the thin man broke the silence as he got up and kicked his companions.

"Hey, get up already. We gotta get out of this place." He rummaged in his pack and pulled out a fiber bar to munch on while waiting for his henchmen to get up.

Slowly the three brothers rose, groaning as they did so. Even though they complained, they still obeyed the other and packed up the camp, eating some of their leftover provisions as a makeshift breakfast.

Meanwhile, the thin man walked over to their hostage and observed the sleeping man, poking him with a stick. "Hmph." He tossed it when the body failed to stir. "He's still asleep, but that makes it easier to move him. We don't need him away and causing trouble." He turned to survey their now-empty campsite. "Everything packed? Good, let's get moving. Vlad get the prince. You two get the stuff."

Kanda kept himself slack and let them carry him away even though all he really wanted to do was beat them up and escape. It was a good thing that his carrier was behind the other three and that he was slung over the man's back with his face looking outwards. That way, he could see exactly where they were headed. Or, rather, he could keep a focus on the trail they left behind. They were traveling on a dirt path now, footsteps kicking up small puffs of air. Something glinted to the side of his vision, but when he turned to look there was nothing. However, the rest of his senses told him that it was indeed another person, though if they were his friend or foe remained to be determined.

Traveling for a good hour or so, the group came to a stop when Simon held up his hand. "Did you hear that? Some tinkling sounds." They looked around carefully, eyes and ears straining to catch something, but as far as they could tell, there was nothing.

"We don't hear anything. It's probably the wind." Vard offered.

Simon frowned. "Maybe. Alright, let's keep going."

They continued on their way, cautious at first but were quick to drop their guard when nothing happened-no suspicious sounds or figures trailing their way.

Reaching a crossroad, they paused, just to take a breath and to double-check their destination.

"Just thirty minutes away boys. Not much farther along now. I—" He was cut off when a hard circular object suddenly hit his stomach, bouncing off to hit Vark standing behind him.

"Oof!"

"What the hell was that?" Simon cried in outrage while trying to get breath back into his lungs.

"Yo." They were greeted by a dark figure standing by one of the trees not too far away. He wore a hooded cloak on his person, the cloth black, and his face made distinctive with pointed purple streaks below his eyes. Upon locating the perpetrator, Vark immediately lunged toward him with a snarl, intending to take out the other. However, the large ball-like object hit him square in the stomach once more. Without their notice, it had returned to its owner's side as if it was a boomerang and the stranger wasted no time in using it.

As soon as Simon saw Vark get knocked down, he took charge, not willing to be defeated. They would take care of this bandit and dump at the side of the road. "Vark get up and take him out! Vard you too. Make sure you guys get him." As per his orders, the two men came straight at their attacker. Watching from behind Simon was confident that they had put a stop to the other, sure that nothing could put off the combined weight of the two muscle men, especially with a weak figure like that. He was caught off guard when Vlad near him was suddenly slammed hard and fast into a tree. There was an audible gasp of air, but it didn't come from Vlad—no, it was from their hostage, the prince, who was now unconscious with blood trickling down the side of his head, as he had been the unwitting buffer for Vlad, and so was impacted by the weights on both sides and the speed that he had been hit with.

"What–" Simon began to say, but he was knocked forward earning a face full of dry dust on the path. Behind him, the ball spun in place, distilling the dust around it.

"Ha! Didn't think that would that would take care of me, did ya?" His brass voice was loud in the clearing and clearly, he was stronger than he looked when he was able to shove and beat his attackers off of him. Vark and Vard didn't seem to care and leapt at him, fists out and ready to attack. For two burly men, they were quite fast when they wanted to be, something the stranger quickly found out. However, he was not completely defenseless either, managing to block their attacks while landing some of his own at the same time. He would be lying if he said he wasn't tiring though, because the weight of their punches was doing a number on him. He wasn't ready to lose, but seeing the last of the henchmen coming at him wasn't something he wanted either.

' _Shit.'_  The stranger thought as he warily anticipated Vlad's entry into the fight, maneuvering the fight backwards as to put some distance between him and the incoming person. His eyes darted from side to side, calculating the movements to figure out the timing of when to dodge them all.

It turned out he didn't need to.

In mid-stride they suddenly froze, confused and tugging at their arms, but not moving at all.

"Wh- What?" Simon spluttered with confusion, his own feelings of elation shot down when he realized that his henchmen weren't able to pummel their opponent into a mass of putty.

And the cloaked figure laughed! "Good timing man," he called out, relief evident in his voice. "I owe ya one."

Another voice came out from the clearing, calmer than his companion's wilder one. "Don't thank me yet Daisya. They're only tied up, nothing else."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." In a casual manner Daisya walked over to where his weapon was still spinning in the dust behind Simon confident he could handle anything the weak-looking man could do. In hindsight, Simon realized that he probably should have used the fight as a distraction to drag the prince out of there. It was too late now though. Daisya hovered his hand over the strangely-designed ball and it levitated upwards off the ground. Then in a sudden movement he snapped his wrist forward in the direction of Simon and following its direction the ball hit the back of his head. Simon was knocked out immediately, passed out unconscious on the dirt.

"Daisya, please don't forget about me over here." His companion's voice was still steady and calm, but Daisya could detect a strain in his voice.

Tossing his toy up and down, Daisya casually made his way over to where the three brothers were still stuck, trying to tug free of their invisible bonds. They were strong, but the strings were stronger, holding them in place. It was just luck that they were standing in a strategic angle for him to get all three with one throw. Soon, the figures went slack and fell to the ground when the strings were retrieved and its owner jumped down from the tree he had been perched on to land beside Daisya.

"Thanks man." Daisya said and started to haul each unconscious person to their own individual tree.

Marie shrugged as he knelt down beside one and began tying him to the trunk of a tree with rope. "It's nothing. I was just waiting for the most opportune moment to get all three at once."

"They're strong, I'll give you that." Daisya pulled Simon some trees further away from the rest and tied him up tightly while Marie finished tying up the third brother.

"Daisya, is this their hostage?" Marie asked as he made his way over to the unconscious blunette lay.

"Hm? Yeah." Daisya replied as he joined Marie. "He got knocked down due to the commotion I think. We'd better take him back now."

"…He's bleeding. Do you have some bandages on you?" Marie looked up at Daisya who fumbled around in his pockets looking for some and handing it over when he found it.

After wrapping it around Kanda's head, Marie secured the boy on his back. "How long do you think it'll take them to wake up?" Marie asked conversationally.

"They won't wake up until the next day, and by then, the forest'll take care of 'em. Charity Bell knocked them out  _good_." Daisya said, grinning at his weapon, tossing it up and down in the air. With each toss it shrunk in size until it was the same size as a doorbell, which he then attached to the tip of his hood. Once it was secure, he played with it, causing a tinkling sound to ring out. After all, it  _was_  just a bell.

"That's true," Marie agreed. Their business taken care of, they walked away from the clearing, soon vanishing away from sight.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The bumpy motion below him caused Kanda to stir back into the waking world. The view was blurry, his head hurt, and he wasn't sure what was going on. The person who was carrying him noticed the change, and Kanda soon found himself being addressed.

"You're awake now, I see. Sorry, but you'll have to wait a little while longer—the house is still some ways up ahead." The voice that addressed him was deep but gentle. But Kanda was wary, because it was a voice he was not familiar with.

"Who are you?"

Another voice addressed him, this one less deep and more hyper. "I'm Daisya, and he's Marie. We saved you from some kidnappers, kid. Where's our thanks?"

Kanda frowned, unsure if he could trust their words, but in case it was true… "Thank you. But where are you taking me?"

"Back to our place." Daisya replied. "You're injured so we gotta patch you up. Plus I'm starving!"

"It won't be for long now. What's your name?" Marie inquired.

"Kanda. Yuu Kanda." He responded.

"Nice to meet you Kanda. We're almost there. You can see it up ahead—it's that one by the weeping willow tree." Marie pointed and Kanda peered forward. Indeed, there was a large weeping willow and near it was a yellow cottage with a brown roof. They arrived at the front a few minutes later and Daisya didn't hesitate at all to throw open the red door and walk in without care.

"Gensui we're back!" He called out while Marie set Kanda carefully down on a chair.

"I'm going to get something to treat your wound."

While Marie left to retrieve some supplies and Daisya was off who-knows-where, Kanda was left to himself. He was grateful because it gave him time to think. According to him, he had been kidnapped. Why? And could he really trust these people? True, he didn't know them, but he didn't sense any killing intent from either of them, so that had to count for something.

Kanda was suddenly aware of another person and he looked up to see an older man come into the room. He looked relatively normal, with scruffy brown hair and a mustache. Set on his face was a pair of round glasses. "Hello there. I'm Froi Tiedoll. I believe you said your name was Yuu Kanda?" Kanda nodded and the other smiled at him while taking a seat across from him. "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Yuu-kun. I heard that Daisya and Marie rescued you from some kidnappers. Are you hurt anywhere besides your head?"

Kanda thought about it for a moment. "I'm just a bit sore but nothing is broken."

Tiedoll let out a relieved smile. "That's wonderful to hear. Don't worry; you can stay with us as long as you need to. It's important to keep a healthy body and mind."

Kanda relaxed. This man seemed to be sincerely worried for him, and he seemed to have a kind disposition. He felt like he could be trusted. Which is why he voiced aloud his next question, although a bit hesitantly.

"I have a question…" Kanda began nervously, but Tiedoll nodded encouragingly for him to continue, so he did. "Do you know me? Do you know who I am?"

Tiedoll was taken aback by the sudden question. "What do you mean?" he asked, trying to make more sense of what Kanda was asking, feeling as if there was more to the question than what it directly meant.

Navy blue eyes looked away, embarrassed. "I… I don't know who I am." He finally confessed. "My memories… I can't remember anything except my name."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"So, he doesn't know who he is?" Marie's quiet voice carried clear in the room. It was nightfall and Kanda was asleep in the guest bedroom. Tiedoll, Daisya, and Marie sat around the kitchen table, talking quietly so as to not awaken their guest.

Tiedoll nodded. "He doesn't remember anything but his name. No family, friends, nothing on why he was suddenly a kidnap victim."

Daisya let out a low whistle. "Man, that's pretty harsh. I guess he's staying until he gets his memory back then?"

Tiedoll nodded. "I couldn't let anybody on their own go off like that on good conscience. So if you two don't mind, we'll have another person living with us for a while."

Marie nodded. "We expected nothing less of you."

"Hey, maybe it won't be so boring anymore." Daisya said, leaning back on his chair with his arms folded behind his head. "I wonder if he'll be like that other amnesiac kid we had a while back."

Marie shrugged. "Who knows? Let's tell him tomorrow."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The next morning, while Kanda ate breakfast with his new companions, Tiedoll took the opportunity to tell him what they had discussed last night.

"So as you see, Yuu-kun, you're more than welcome to stay here for as long you need to." Tiedoll told the teen kindly.

"That's very kind of you, but I couldn't possibly impose upon your hospitality." Kanda told him, looking directly into his eyes.

If Tiedoll had been surprised, he showed nothing of it. "Nonsense! You won't be a bother at all. We don't get much company these days, since we started living in the Alpine Forest. You'd be a wonderful companion to us."

"Besides, we couldn't possibly let you go without your memory intact. Those people who were after you might come at you again, and you wouldn't know why." Marie added, using reason to make his argument.

Kanda frowned. That made sense, as much as he hated to admit it, but maybe it wouldn't be that bad to stay with them for a while. They  _had_  helped him out, and it would be impolite of him not to repay the gesture. If staying with them was their wish, then he could indulge them for a while. "Alright," he sighed, defeated. "If you'll have me, I shall stay with you until I recover my missing memories. Thank you for you kindness."

Daisya laughed at him. "Dude, no need to be so formal. It's just us, and we're nothing fancy." He stood up to take his leave but Marie frowned at him.

"It's your turn to do the dishes." Marie told him and Daisya groaned.

"Agh, I was hoping you'd forget," he grumbled and then began to clear the table of its dirty dishes.

Marie smiled. "Not a chance." He excused himself from the table then. "I'm heading out now. Is there anything you guys want?"

"Where are you going?" Kanda asked out of curiosity.

"I'll be at Vierte Stadt **(1)** , one of the towns in Vashekla." Marie replied while grabbing his coat.

Daisya popped his head out from the kitchen. "Oooh, you gonna visit your girlfriend?"

Marie turned red. "Sh-she's not my girlfriend," he stuttered. "We're just friends that are going to hang out. That's all."

Daisya snickered at him. " _Suuure_  she's not."

"Daisya, don't tease your brother." Tiedoll reprimanded, and Daisya stuck his tongue out but didn't say anything else. "Marie, go ahead and have some fun."

Marie nodded, relieved that he wasn't being teased any longer. "I'm off then."

The door closed behind him, encasing the room in silence for a moment, the sound of running water and scrubbing the only audible noise.

"Do you want to see my studio?" Tiedoll suddenly asked, standing up. Kanda followed the older man to a large room, filled with paintings among paintings. The sight took his breath away and he stood there looking around while Tiedoll took a seat in front of a half-drawn on canvas. "Take a seat anywhere you want. Make yourself comfortable."

Kanda opted to take a seat on the floor by one of the larger paintings which gave him a side view of the artist staring at the canvas.

"You're an artist, then?" Kanda asked. "They're all very beautiful," he added.

"Thank you. And yes, I am. For you see, art is my passion." Tiedoll cheerfully replied while sketching something on the canvas. "Sadly, though I have taught them the art, it is not their passion. But I am proud of them, for they are exceptional in the art they have passion for, and that's all that really matters." He said, pride shining in his voice.

"I didn't know they were brothers," Kanda said.

"Ah yes. My two boys are adopted, but I treat them as my own. Marie is gifted with the organ while Daisya prefers the guitar. Both of them are quite excellent in that respect." Tiedoll dipped a brush into paint and then started to smooth it over the white space. "What about you? What was your passion?"

Kanda shrugged. "I'm not sure. I know there's something I enjoy doing, but I don't remember what."

"Don't fret. I'm sure it'll come to you with time. In the meantime, while you're here, you're free to experiment with any of the instruments we have. Let me know if anything interests you, and I can teach you. Or if you would prefer drawing, we can do that too."

Kanda blinked at the offer, surprised. He wanted to decline, but something in the artist's face made him not want to say it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Yuu-kun." Tiedoll said with a smile.

A question formed in Kanda's mind then, and he voiced it as soon as he figured out that it wouldn't cause offense. "Tiedoll-san, there's something that confuses me. You're not from Nakonea, yet you add honorifics to names and Daisya called you Gensui. If you don't mind, could you explain to me the reason for this?"

"I don't mind at all." Tiedoll said. "Let's see. I was born and raised in Ektona. However, I traveled a lot and ended up spending a lot of time over in Nakonea, where I picked up the Japanese and Chinese language. Marie and Daisya I found and adopted at some point in my various travels and they were with me during my long stay over there. Having never called me anything but my name with respect, they picked up one on Gensui because the public over there addressed me as such, repeatedly."

"Gensui…that means general, doesn't it. What was a general of Ektona doing in Nakonea, and right now living in the Alpine Forest?" Kanda asked with confusion.

Tiedoll let out a small laugh. "That's a long story for another day, Yuu-kun. Here, why don't you try your hand at this?"

At Tiedoll's beckoning, Kanda came forward and took the pencil and sketchbook offered to him. "That's yours now. Draw anything you like, or if you don't want to draw, you can write. I find it to be a great way of letting my thoughts out."

Kanda stared at the gift in his hands and then at the general's kind face. "Okay. I'll try." He returned to his seat on the floor, opened up the book, and stared at the blank page.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Simon awoke hours later with a pounding head while feeling restricted and battered. One he was fully conscious, he realized the reason for this was because he was tied up. Glancing around and straining to see around the foliage, he spotted Vard some distance off.

"HEY!" He yelled as loud as he could, trying to catch the other's attention while tugging at his bonds, cursing when he realized it was too tight.

Vard didn't move an inch, and Simon soon realized that he was most likely unconscious and tied up. There was a high possibility his brothers were too. What about the prince? Simon couldn't spot him anywhere. He cursed as he realized their prize was gone, possibly kidnapped from them or he just up and left when he saw them tied up. Either way, Simon's group didn't have him and there was hell to pay if their boss found out.

He tugged at the ropes again, but his actions were futile. Whoever tied him up had knotted him about five times, from what he could feel, and there was no way that he could untie it by himself. He had a hidden knife sheathed on his side, but from the angle he was at, it was nearly impossible to reach. He would have to wait until the others were able to set him free.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Marie! I'm glad you could make it!" A woman with wavy brown hair said with a smile as she spotted the darker skinned man.

Marie felt his mouth stretch into a smile when he saw her. He couldn't help it. She always made him feel that way. "I'm glad to see you again, Miranda. How's work?"

Miranda ducked her head shyly. "It's alright. It's been hectic the last couple of days, because we got word of some big event going on in Ardua. I don't have the details yet, but from what I hear, it has something to do with the princess and the crown prince."

Marie felt his interest pique up. "Is that so? Then I might pick up a copy when you guys write about it. I look forward to reading what you wrote, Miranda."

Miranda blushed at the praise. "Thank you Marie, but it's nothing special. I don't know if I'm going to write anything for that event, since it's in Ardua. It's most likely that branch will take over the procedures there."

"Is that so? That's too bad. I like reading your articles."

Miranda felt her face turn red and she quickly turned away. "L-let's go meet up with Eliade and Krory. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you too."

Marie smiled at her. "Sure," he said pleasantly, and the two walked side by side, making casual conversations as they got over their initial awkwardness towards each other.

Miranda Lotto was mainly a desk secretary for the Vashekla branch of  _La Royaume_ , but she was also a journalist when they needed more people. Marie usually never read the popular magazine, but ever since he met Miranda, he started to buy the issues that had her articles. Miranda was a very unique person. She was shy and clumsy, but always polite and hardworking, not to mention that she had a warm heart. He liked that about her, and reading what she wrote helped him to feel more connected to her.

"Ah, Eliade! Krory!" Miranda called out as she spotted them, waving and walking over to them immediately.

Arystar Krory the Third was tall and had a somewhat scary appearance as it was akin to a vampire. His facial features were pointy as was his ears and teeth. However, his nature was nothing of the sort. He was a kind, somewhat naïve man who did his best to help those in need. He was married to Eliade, a very beautiful blonde woman who could be bossy at times but always had good intentions behind her actions. The two were editors at  _La Royaume_  and were excellent at their jobs. Aside from being slightly rich, since Krory was a Baron, they were Miranda's neighbors and Eliade was Miranda's best friend.

"Marie! It's good to see you again!"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

It was three weeks since Kanda first arrived at Tiedoll's house in the Alpine Forest. Since then he found himself bonding with the three. He played soccer with Daisya who enjoyed teaching him the sport. Once it was discovered that Kanda was somehow proficient in combat, he found himself sparring with Daisya, something he found pleasurable. The movements were instinctive and fluid; whenever he physically trained himself, Kanda felt secure as if he knew exactly who he was. Of course the feeling left once he was done, but experiencing it reassured Kanda that he would be able to recover his lost memories.

Though physical activities were mostly spent with Daisya, who practically lived outdoors, Kanda felt innately drawn to Marie. He wondered if it had anything to do with how the other was ten years older than him, and seemed like an older brother figure more than Daisya who turned out to be a year older than him and Tiedoll who was more like a scattered father figure. They connected with each other through silence and talking. There was a calm to Marie that Kanda admired, and his exceptional hearing was fairly intriguing.

As for Tiedoll, well, Kanda first thought him a slight annoyance, but he was patient in answering any and all questions Kanda had. He bonded with the older man over the arts, whose music and paintings left an impression on his soul no matter what he initially thought. Each brush stroke created a scenic masterpiece. Each note turned into a meaningful song. Kanda came to admire Tiedoll for his finery in the arts as well as his kind and fatherly personality.

When he was offered the sketchbook, there was only one constant, recurring drawing that came to surface in his book. It was the image of a sword, but it was the same sword every time. Sometimes it was just a simple design, but more often than not, Kanda found himself drawing the weapon and filling it in with the same intricate details over and over again. This made him convinced that it was connected to his missing memories, to which the others agreed. The same day he told them this, Tiedoll handed him a sword.

"Swing it around. See how it feels," the older man encouraged, and Kanda did so, although hesitantly. That hesitance was gone when his hand closed around the grip. The next minutes were like a blur to Kanda, exhilarating and exciting as he executed movements he hadn't realized that he knew. Muscle memory, perhaps, but Kanda didn't care because he had now regained a part of him back. Tiedoll, Marie, and Daisya stared at him awe, amazed at the fluid motions Kanda made.

"That's it then. You were a born swordsman." Tiedoll said with a grin on his face.

Kanda grinned back in agreement, adrenaline still running through his veins.

Aside from the sword, Kanda found out that he was also very adept at playing the violin, something he found himself doing whenever he was bored. Tiedoll was so impressed by his skill that he told Kanda the violin was his to keep.

"The arts allow us to exhibit our passions. How can I deny you such greatness when it is clear that you were meant for it? Keep it, I insist."

It was no surprise that Kanda felt at home with these people he had only met three weeks ago. The kindness and bonds he created with them were felt within his heart. How could he ever hate such genuine feelings? There was a feeling in the back of his head that told him this feeling was familiar, that he had a family out there somewhere. But the warmth that he got from Tiedoll… he was sure that it didn't exist in his past. Maybe in the form of a mother, but Kanda was certain not from a father. So Tiedoll ended up filling that gap and he took to calling him Gensui with some affection and respect much like the others did. As soon as he did that, Tiedoll burst into tears full of happiness, declaring Kanda his third son. The reason for this was because Tiedoll felt that they had become family, and even if Kanda regained his memories, he was more than welcome to return to them.

Kanda was moved by this sudden outburst of affection but he didn't show it, choosing to show his acceptance of this grudgingly. Tiedoll, Marie, and Daisya grinned though, taking it as embarrassment, and Marie ruffled his hair while Daisya clapped him on the back.

"Welcome to the family bro."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Do you guys ever keep up with the events of the outside world?" Kanda asked one day in curiosity. Living in the Alpine Forest, they only had each other for human company and it seemed as if they were in a timeless place.

"Well, we do go visit other towns sometimes, but I haven't gone out much." Tiedoll said, hands busy at work, rapidly moving the pencil back and forth on his sketchbook. "It was sometime during my earlier years that I told myself I would take up residence in the Alpine Forest one day. Then, during the time that I was tired of being surrounded by the bustle of the city, I took that opportunity move into the forest. It was some tough work, building this beauty, but we did it. And the forest likes us, because we haven't been kicked out yet."

Kanda thought about it—the story made sense. He was still curious though. "Do you miss being around other people?"

Tiedoll shrugged. "Sometimes. But if we're ever needed, a message will reach here. Let's say that my stay here is a transitory state. A lull, the calm before the storm. It's a time for me to rest and get prepared for the battle ahead. And indeed, I got such a message yesterday. It's vague, but I'm afraid my time in the cottage will soon be no more."

He over at Kanda and gave him a kind smile but there was glint of sadness in his eyes. "We should enjoy the time we have here, Yuu-kun."

"Do you mean someone is trying to kill you?" Kanda asked incredulously. "I'd like to see them defeat my sword."

Tiedoll laughed aloud at that. "No, no, it's not that. What I mean is that we soon may head to Ektona, and it shall be a long time before we may return here."

"I'm back!" Marie's voice sounded and the front door swung shut behind them. Tiedoll and Kanda left the studio to greet him.

"Welcome back, Marie. What did you bring?" Tiedoll asked curiously and Marie set down a magazine on the table.

"Kanda, do you remember when you said that you didn't know who you were?" Kanda nodded and Marie continued. "Well, this is just a guess, but I think I know who you are."

 _That_  sure shocked him. "What? How? And who am I then?"

"Prince of Ardua, Yu Kanda Falaron *****  would my best guess. And I found out through here." He tapped the magazine cover. "Page twenty-two."

Kanda grabbed it and flipped to the page.

**\- - - Exclusive News! - - -**

_Ardua, home to the Royal Family Falaron, has witnessed an extraordinary event. Three and a half weeks ago, it was announced that_ _**Princess Beatrice Henriette Falaron** _ _would be_ _**crowned as the new heiress** _ _of Ardua. The citizens of this country flocked by the masses to gather at the capital, and when they arrived, exactly one week later, the coronation ceremony began shortly afterwards. This piece of news was_ _**shocking** _ _, and immediately brought one question to the spotlight._ _**Just where exactly is Prince Yu Kanda Falaron?** _ _When questioned during the initial release of the news, the royal family declined to make any and all statements regarding the prince._ _**Princess Ida von Herring of Palauhikila** _ _also had no idea where the famous prince was, and was visibly upset that she too, was kept in the dark. So we took the opportunity on the day of the coronation and asked the newly coronated heiress about her brother in front of the thousand citizens._

"My brother," _the princess began, with a straight and unwavering gaze looking firmly at the crowd._ "He ventured off onto a journey with an unknown destination. I cannot say for certain his intentions, for I do not know them, nor has he told me. However, there is no doubt within my heart that he shall return to us, when he is ready. In his absence, I, Beatrice Henriette Falaron, will take my place as the heir to the throne. However, in the event of his return I shall give the position back to my brother if he so wishes."

_The crowd cheered loudly at that, but our reporters were not done. The disappearance of a prince is a serious matter, and they were going to push until they received some answers._

"Princess, does your brother's disappearance have anything to with the prior disappearance of your other brother, Prince Alma Karma Falaron?"

_The Princess paused at this question, and everyone waited in bated breath for her answer. With cold eyes she coolly spoke, but her words deflected the question._

"This is no interview. This is the day of my coronation, and you have already asked me your allotted question. Please back away now."

"But Princess! This is important! Prince Kanda was close to Prince Alma, was he not? Could it be that—"

"Enough of this."  _The princess interrupted._  "I have already stated that this is no interview and politely asked you to cease your questions. If you continue this further, I shall have you removed from the premises and you can be sure that this coverage will  **not**  appear in your paper. Is this clear?"

_With that ultimatum, no further questions could be asked of the newly crowned princess. However, from this matter, we can gleam that Prince Kanda's disappearance holds a possible connection to his older brother's disappearance nearly four years ago. We continued to hold interviews with other citizens._

_**Staff Opinions p.24** _

_**Princess Ida's Distress p.25** _

_**Citizens' Thoughts p.26** _

**\- - - End Excerpt - - -**

Kanda left the pages open in front of him. There, on page twenty-three, right next to the article, were three pictures with captions beneath them. At the top was a newly crowned Beatrice standing proud and unwavering as she looked out at the sea of people before her. Beside her… was  _himself._  Hair tied up in a high ponytail garbed in fine robes with a sword set at his side and set expression on his face, it hard to deny this man as a separate person from himself. And underneath the both of them was a picture of the royal family together.

"This is me? I'm a prince? But… that's crazy." He looked up into Marie and Tiedoll's faces, eyes searching but for what he didn't know.

"Is it possible… that it's not me?" He asked quietly. "It doesn't make sense that I would just disappear…but when you found me you  _did_  say I was kidnapped." He stared at the picture. "Maybe they  _are_  my missing memories, but when I look at them, at this picture… I don't want to go back. I don't know why, but I don't."

Marie and Tiedoll exchanged concerned glances.

"Gensui, Marie. Can I try to find my memories out my own way? If I really did leave them on purpose, I must have a reason."

Tiedoll nodded, giving his consent with Marie looking confused at his action. "Gensui–"

"It's fine, Marie. Yuu needs to find his own way in life. We shall respect your decision Yuu-kun. That being said, now you must try harder to regain your memories. I would hate to have you continuing to worry your family members."

Kanda's shoulders slumped down in relief. "I will. I promise." He looked back at Marie. "Will you take me to town?"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

_**Author's Notes** _

Thank you all for your patience. I hope that this chapter was to your liking as it turned out a little differently from what I initially had in mind. So, what did you think of all the new characters I added in? Were they okay or did they act too OC? What about amnesiac!Kanda? I've never experienced memory loss, so it's all guesswork for me. In case you noticed that Kanda wasn't his usual self, this is explained by his memory loss. He doesn't remember who he is, so he isn't his usual annoyed-at-the-world self. Actually, when I wrote this, I worried that I made Kanda seem too much like an innocent child. Let me know what you think, so I can work on them some more.

I'll be done with my first year of college by the end of next week! It's been a long school year and I, for one, am soo ready to go home. No more worrying about exams, no more reading textbooks. Just hopefully a good summer awaits, with fun and writing up ahead. Thanks for those who reviewed, and I hope I get more from different people as well. The next chapter is next month, so stay tuned! Also, should I upload my map of this story's world for you guys to see? It's not much of a map, done on paint. It's also very basic, but I find it a useful reference. Let me know what you think!

_**Text** _

**(1) Vierte Stadt:** German, literal translation from Google – Fourth Town

 ***Yu Kanda Falaron:** You may have noticed that whenever this name is mentioned it's spelled as Yu. The reason for this is because the king thought it would be manlier with just one 'u' as opposed to two, since his wife wouldn't budge on the name. However, his name would be spelled with two u's in kanji and in pronunciation it would be longer. Yuu vs Yu, where Yu is more abrupt than the first. Kanda identifies as Yuu but on official documents it's written as Yu. Since whenever Kanda's first name is being addressed (as Yuu) the king has unconsciously started mimicking it as well, even though he tries his hardest to only say 'Yu'. This can be seen in chapter 4. Kanda's mother says Yu and Yuu without any problem. The rest of the world would only be allowed to call him Kanda.

…Sorry for the rather long, and probably unnecessary information spill. I just wanted to put this out there in case anyone was wondering about it.

_**Response to Reader Reviews** _

**Rin:** That's good to hear, because that's exactly what I intended.

 **:**  Haha, I love Kanda. There's no way I'd make him a tyrant, because not only does it not fit him for this story, but I also don't think it's a part of his character, because of his honor and pride. Of course in an entirely different story and scenario, he could very well be a bad ruler. As for being a spoiled brat, I think he hates those a lot.

 **scarf:** Thanks! I'm glad to hear you like all the characters. I know this story jumps around a bit, from Kanda and Lavi to the people that they left behind, but I assure you that it's all relevant to the plot ^^

_**Length of Text** _

Twelve pages + one for afternotes


	11. Coronation Events

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: July 8th, 2013

The castle was busy, people swarming everywhere. Ever since her coronation to succeed her brother was announced, there was a constant buzz of noise in the castle, spilling out to the rest of the country and once word was received, to the other kingdoms. Overall, it was a busy affair, as they planned out how to accommodate the guests and how to arrange the population that was gathering outside the castle. After they decided that she not going to travel out to visit her citizens, people were spread out to help gather and lead them safely to the castle. The ceremony would not start until the last minute, when they were sure that all of them had arrived. That being said, Beatrice was too busy to interact with her brother or keep an eye on Princess Ida, but she was confident that things would be okay.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Ida was not pleased.

When Beatrice's coronation was announced, right out of the blue, she had been shocked. "What's the meaning of this?!" She shrieked at Tyki, irritation plain in her eyes as soon as they were alone.

Tyki, however, was also confused, and showed as much by his expression. "Honestly, I have no idea." He frowned, not liking the idea of being a step behind others.

"Ugh! I can't believe that brat is going to become the heir to the throne! Why is this even happening? Kanda's not dead, just missing. It makes absolutely  _no sense_  to decide to crown her so fast! What if they find him tomorrow? What happens then? Are these people stupid?" She raged, and Tyki calmly let her voice out all the frustration she wanted—he had already soundproofed the room beforehand, to defend against eavesdropping.

Tyki was also feeling the same, but he was taking everything a lot calmer than Ida. For one, the coronation of Ida was unexpected, but its occurrence didn't trouble him as much as not knowing it was going to happen. But it would be very troublesome to their plans if Ida was crowned, especially as they had already come up to a backup to Kanda's disappearance—an event that had also been a surprise to Tyki, but at least that had helped them. He could see very little benefits to Beatrice's crowning and he felt his dislike of the Falarons and Ardua itself growing. It held far too many unexpected surprises for his liking, and he absolutely despised not knowing things beforehand. It was too easy to be manipulated, and he preferred to be the manipulator. Nevertheless, he would find a way to handle this, like did for everything else that didn't go their way.

"Look," he said after Ida had calmed down. "We can't let this hinder us. We can still go through with the plan—we just have to find another way."

Ida narrowed her eyes. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Go along with it. Act like you're fine with her coronation, but also see if you can get them to talk about why they won't wait for the prince or what they'll do if he comes back before then. Snoop around; see what you can dig up. As for me, I shall contact the others and figure out another way to adjust ours plans. I'll see what I can find out as well, and we should reconvene before the coronation occurs."

Ida nodded after listening. "I understand. I'll see what I can find out, but it won't be easy, especially because I stick out more."

Tyki smiled. "Not a problem. I'm certain I can find a way to make you blend in more than usual."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Timothy sighed again. He was bored because his sister was too busy to visit him and he wasn't allowed to leave the castle until after the coronation happened. Sure, he had been surprised when he found out, as Bea had told him directly after it had been decided, but he understood why it was happening. It just felt lonely, all by himself, because they were too busy with preparations. He would have gladly helped out as well, but being as young as he was, there was actually very little he could do, especially when he was just learning as well.

He sighed again. Tsukikami was out again, leaving him in the care of another. When questioned why, Tsukikami told him he was helping Bookman in locating Kanda and Lavi, so Timothy didn't make too much fuss about it. But that didn't stop him from missing his usual caretaker. He huffed, wishing he wasn't nine and that they didn't treat him like a kid so much. He could help, he was certain of it, but no one let him do anything, and he wasn't able to be let out of sight for a moment because coronation times were the highest peaks in assassination or kidnapping, and they couldn't afford to let that happen.

"Hey Otto?" Timothy asked the older boy whose turn it was to watch him. "What do you think about Bea's coronation?"

Otto was surprised at the question. "Well, I was surprised when I heard about it, but I have no objections, if that's what you're asking. I think the princess is a great person and will make a good future queen. And if Prince Kanda returns, I have no objections to him either." He glanced at the younger boy. "What brought on this question?"

"Well, I know people are worried she won't be accepted, but I couldn't think of any reason why they wouldn't, except that she's seventeen, and nine's far younger than that." Timothy cocked his head to one side. "Do you know anything about that?"

Otto considered the question. "I have heard rumors of dissent, but in all honesty, I haven't heard any objections. I think all the citizens are fine with your sister's coronation; it's probably only the foreigners who object it."

Timothy frowned at that. "Foreigners… foreigners…" he muttered, and suddenly sat up straight. "Otto," he said, voice and expression suddenly serious. "I need to ask a favor of you."

Otto was surprised by the sudden behavior, but he nodded anyway. "Of course. What would you have me do?"

Timothy watched him very carefully. "I need you to help me keep track of Princess Ida."

Otto was bewildered by that. "Princess Ida? Why? Do you think she'll try something?"

Timothy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. But she came here to make Yuu-nii fall in love with her and hopefully marry her." Otto couldn't help the snort of amusement that escaped him when he heard that part. "Of course, we all knew that wasn't going to happen, but that didn't stop her from trying. I think she wanted to be queen, but that'll never happen if Bea-nee becomes the heir, because then  _she'll_  be queen."

Otto was stunned by the nine-year-old's sudden insight. "What would you have me do?"

"If you can, I want to you to keep an eye on her. Like, don't let her know that you're following her, and you don't have to be standing right next to her. Just keep an eye on her, and if you see her doing anything, tell me, or Bea, my parents, Tsukikami, or Bookman." Timothy furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Um, like if you see her snooping where she's not supposed to be, like if she snuck into Bea's room, or acting strangely, anything. Do you get what I mean?"

Otto nodded. One thing bothered him though. "Timothy-sama, if you're so worried about her, why don't you tell anyone else?"

Timothy looked frustrated. "Because she hasn't  _done_  anything yet, and I think my parents like her. Also, we're supposed to be nice to foreign royalties. It would be bad if we accused her of anything without proof. She might not do anything, but I don't trust her. What if she had something to do with my brother and why he left? Nobody knows anything about it. Lavi might know, but he's gone too and Bookman is working of finding them. They haven't made progress yet though. Do you see?"

Otto nodded. "Yes, I do. Alright. I'll keep an eye on her, and let you know if I see anything suspicious. But it'll be hard to do this just by myself. Do you have any others in on this plan?"

Timothy shook his head. "No. Not really. You're the first. Who do you think we should include? I don't want any adults yet, because I think they're too busy with the coronation."

Otto thought about it. "What about Tema and Cleo then. They're both girls, so they can follow her more than I can, especially since they can say they're maids. Also we can defend ourselves and detain her if need be."

Timothy nodded. "That sounds good. I'll summon them up so we can talk about it. Anyone else? I was thinking of Serena, but she's in the kitchen a lot and might not see anything."

Otto shook his head. "I think Serena would be a good choice. Since she's close to the food, she can double-check everything before it gets to the table, and switch out anything she thinks has been tampered with. It won't help once it gets onto the table, but she can do something before that."

Timothy thought about it and nodded. "That makes sense. I'll go ask for them now."

Five minutes later, three older girls entered Timothy's chambers, and Timothy quickly filled them in on his request. They agreed, of course—they loved the royal family very much, and weren't too happy with the thought that Princess Ida might possibly try something on Beatrice or had something to do with Kanda's disappearance.

"But we can't leave you alone, Timothy." Serena told him quite seriously. "Even if she doesn't go after your sister, she might go after you. After all, you're only nine, and even if you can fight back, she'll overpower you. She did beat Cleo at your sword lesson." She pointed out in concern and the others nodded in agreement.

"What about Zorro?" Cleo asked but Tema shook her head.

"Zorro's helping to fill in the missing spots with the Black Knights. Half of them left to patrol the land or something. He's helping to protect the castle." She explained. "I was supposed to help them too, but they decided it would better for me to be available to the princess should she require any protection, but Helena is an excellent protector already. In other words, I'm just an extra available hand."

Timothy was surprised. "The Black Knights are out? How come no one told me?" He asked curiously.

"It's supposed to be kept quiet. Only the guards and the selected know." Tema told him. "I believe it was the Queen's orders though."

Timothy pondered that bit of information. "I guess Bea knows then, too." He mused, and then shook his head. "Ah, whatever. We just need to worry about Ida."

"But what about her advisor?" Serena voiced her own worried opinion. "I overheard Bookman and Tsukikami say they were wary of him, and also the princess boasted about his magic when she told your parents she wanted to stay here, remember? What should we do about him? We don't know any magic."

"Bookman and Tsukikami said that?" Timothy's expression grew a little worried. "In that case, it would better to keep an eye on him but to keep out of his way."

The others nodded in agreement. It was a sound plan, and a few minutes later, they left Timothy alone but promised to report back anything they thought was suspicious, leaving Timothy to pray for things to go smoothly.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Tyki sat alone in his room with a frown on his face. He had just finished communications with his brother, Sheryl. The reason why he had such a headache was because the other thought he knew where Road was, but Tyki didn't. And that bout, they got down to business concerning the princess's coronation.

" _It can't be helped, if we can't find the prince. Are you sure you don't have any leads?" Sheryl asked with seriousness, observing his brother's face closely._

_Tyki shook his head. "Ida's snooping around but I seriously doubt she'll find anything useful. I'll take a look around, but I can't say that I enjoy dirtying my hands any more than I have to." Tyki waved a gloved hand for emphasis. "Have you asked the Earl what to do? In one sense we could use the girl—she's fairly more reasonable than her brother. On the other hand, we would have to contend with Ida should that happen."_

_Sheryl made a small hum of agreement towards that statement. "That's for sure. The Earl said to change nothing. Proceed with the plan. Drugging would be the best way towards subjugation—we need them alive, but separated."_

_Tyki nodded. "Of course. Have you heard from Wisely or Lulubell yet? We'll need them soon, I think."_

_Sheryl nodded. "The Earl's got them on different assignments, but they can all be reached."_

" _Good." Tyki stretched his arms. "Well, I'll get to work now. Have a good day, brother." He made to switch off the connection, especially as Sheryl began to say something in regards to finding Road's location._

"Ida had better found something useful," Tyki muttered darkly and made his way towards the door. "While she's being useless, I'll see what I can do about their magicians."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Ida wandered around the castle, irritated. So far, she had not found any clues anywhere.  _'Come on, there has to be_ something _on them that I can use as leverage!'_  she thought as she peeked into room after room. Normally, she would be surrounded by her maids, but in this case it would be better to travel alone. She was wearing an enchanted bracelet that didn't make her invisible, but made less of an impression of her to those who saw her. It was so that even if anyone saw her, she would be overlooked, and it would be hard to remember that she had been there in the first place. When she took off the bracelet, she would be visible and no longer overlooked. All in all, it was a very useful tool, especially for a princess like her. Too bad Tyki didn't have invisibility jewelry, but she would take what she could get.

She wandered and snooped and wandered and snooped, and soon, she had no idea where she was, except that she was standing on stairs.

"Great. I'm lost." Ida debated whether or not to keep going to head back to where she came, but before that, footsteps arrived, and she stood stock still, waiting to see who it was. A young boy, dressed in servant clothes and humming a little ditty was walking towards her. As she was wearing the bracelet, his eyes slid right past her. But Ida had no intention of hiding anymore.

Slipping off the accessory, she cleared her throat loudly, and the boy turned in her direction, startled at the sudden noise.

"Oh!" As soon as he registered who she was, he frantically bowed. "Princess Ida! What are you doing here?"

"I seem to have lost my way," Ida said and bestowed upon him a smile. He was immediately enamored by it. "Can you please help me out?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, of course! Right now, you are near the royal rooms. It's straight up ahead, and I'm going to dust the hallways." He turned around to where he had come from. "Back there, going straight will lead out and eventually you'll run into some people or most likely the kitchen."

Ida beamed at him, pleased with the new information given to her. "Thank you, ah… I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

He blushed. "It's Tommy, my lady."

Ida smiled. "Tommy, thank you very much. If you don't mind too much, would you be willing to show me around some more? I could really use your help."

"No problem at all, ma'am!" Tommy saluted enthusiastically. "It would be my pleasure! Right this way, please."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Tyki soon arrived at his destination—the third town of Ardua, where the bookshop that held his butterfly was perched at. He spotted the owner through the side window and decided to take the less shady route of action. The bell on the front door sounded as he entered the shop and the woman looked up from where she sat at the front desk.

"Hello, welcome to the White Fire Bookshop. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for, or are you here to browse? I would be happy to assist you."

Tyki smiled in return. "I'm just here to browse, thank you. Do you have any recommendations?"

Fou got up from her desk and walked over to him. "That depends on what you're looking for. Do you have anything particular in mind?"

"Oh, just something for my niece. She's a teenager now but still acts like she's five. I thought it might be good to train her intelligence, but I don't want to bore her. Do you have some good fiction books? Or children's books—maybe she'll actually sit still for a minute."

Fou smiled. "Oh, that I do. Children's books are always popular, especially the fairy tales. Do you know what she's read before?" She asked as she lead him down the aisles where the children's books and teenage fiction was kept.

"Not really—I haven't seen her quite some time actually, since she lives so far away." Tyki said as he traced the spine of a nearby book.

"Yes, that certainly makes things difficult." Fou said as she picked out a book and held it out to the other. "How about Peter Pan?"

Tyki took it and flipped through the pages. "The illustrations are nice, but do you have anything else? I don't really want her to have the idea of being a kid forever engraved in her mind." He offered the book back and Fou took it.

"Of course. There are plenty of choices to pick from." One by one, they went over several books, making casual conversation to pass the time.

"I've noticed a lot of people coming to town lately. Is that a usual occurrence, or is it just a special occasion?" Tyki inquired.

Fou laughed. "I wish! No, it only happens sometimes, and most often on special occasions. This time, it's the princess's coronation. It's the busiest times for me, because that when I get more customers than usual. You're actually my fifteenth visitor today."

"Is that so? Well, I'm glad that business is working out nicely. But, I was wondering about the rumors about the previous heir to the throne's disappearance. Is it true?"

Fou nodded with a sigh. "Yeah. I suppose it is, because Princess Beatrice is becoming the new heir. I don't think he's dead or anything though," she added quickly, "but I'm sure he'll find a way back home from wherever he is."

"Oh?" Tyki's eye sparkled with interest. "My, you certainly have a strong conviction regarding that. Are you one of his admirers?"

Fou's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "It's not like that. But most citizens of Ardua are extremely loyal to the royal family, because they have touched our lives in some way. It's unusual, but normal over here. What about your country?"

Tyki laughed at that. "It certainly isn't like that at all back home. In fact, I can say with certainty that the citizens do not love their royal family. Out of everyone, they would like the daughter. Not the king, not the queen, but the princess. It's actually quite interesting to see the contrast between these two attitudes, and I can't wait 'til the princess's coronation. That's surely a sight to behold."

Fou nodded in agreement. "Quite right it would be."

The bell tinkled behind them, and Fou turned to view a woman walking in. "Sorry, but I have to help out another customer. Please feel free to continue browsing and consult me if you run into any difficulty."

"It's no problem at all. Thank you for your help." Tyki said and watched Fou scurry away to aid the new customer that had just entered the shop. As soon as he was sure she was occupied, he moved to another area and hid his tall form by one of the bookcases. "Teez, my darling, come to me," he whispered, and waited.

Drifting along the wall, the purple and black butterfly traveled over to where its master was waiting for it, coming out of the wallpaper to land on Tyki's outstretched finger. Tyki rubbed its head with his other finger and accessed the observations the butterfly had made during the time it was there.

He saw how the owner frequently met up with two males—ones he identified as workers in the castle. It was Bookman, the history tutor, and Tsukikami, the one who accompanied the youngest prince everywhere, but wasn't around as often lately in preparation for the ceremony due to happen.

There was much that was talked about. Only discussions concerning location spells and contacts in different countries. All in all, quite boring, but Tyki was sure once the fun started, they would have a lot more interesting discussions. The information he wanted now was not here, but it didn't matter to Tyki as he was confident that his Teez would be able to catch on interesting events. "But just to be certain…" Tyki summoned up two more Teez. "I'll give you some company," he said, addressing the first Teez he created. "I want all three of you to keep hidden and observe everything." He let them go, and smiled as he saw them blend into the shop. Now, he would be able to observe the events as they happened directly, without needing to enter the shop and from as far away as the castle.

Humming to himself, he picked a book off the shelf and walked straight to the counter where Fou was saying farewell to her other customer.

"Hello. Did you find everything you were looking for?" Fou asked with a smile.

Tyki gave her one of his own. "Yes, I did. You were a great help, and I'm sure my niece will enjoy it." He glanced down at the book he had picked off the shelf and had to contain the bark of laughter that came up when he read the title.  _Alice in Wonderland_ , what a fitting book for Road indeed. "How much?"

Fou wrapped the book after Tyki paid, and handed it him. "Have a nice day!"

Tyki tipped his hat to her and took the book with him. "And to you. Good day."

He left the shop, satisfied for the time being.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Ida stood behind Tommy as he worked on cleaning the hallway outside. She wanted to go into the rooms, but he had explained earlier that none but their personal servants were allowed inside to do the cleaning.

"They've tightened security so that no one else has the key," Tommy explained.

"Is that so?" Ida tilted her head. "Well, I can hardly blame them." She scanned the doors one by one, trying to guess which was her love's. Each door was set far apart from the others, and she blinked when she counted four doors.

' _Four? I thought there was only three siblings?!'_  To escape her confusion, Ida voiced her concern aloud to Tommy. "There are four doors here—why is that?"

"Huh?" He scratched his head and looked at the ornate doors. "Well, for the princes and princess, obviously. From oldest to youngest, starting from down there."

Curiously, Ida went to the farthest door. It was decorated as much as the others were, but there was a plaque that had the initials A.K.F. engraved on it, where the others were Y.K.F., B.H.F., and T.H.F. Ida knew what those initials stood for. This one was the only mystery, and she touched the knob gingerly. It would not turn at all, showing that it was locked. But Ida knew that she had found something golden, and was not likely to let the opportunity slip through her fingers.

"Tommy…"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Tsukikami and Bookman soon arrived at Fou's bookshop.

"Did you find out anything?" Fou immediately asked.

Tsukikami shook his head. "No, not yet. With the coronation coming up, we decided that we have to leave it up to others in the field."

"So you're just going to work on security then?" Fou asked, setting down a tray of drinks for her guests.

Tsukikami nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

Bookman spoke suddenly. "Fou, the foreign magic in this place has gotten stronger. Did a magician visit you?"

Fou frowned as she tried to recall her past visitors. Nothing had seemed particularly off about them, but now that Bookman mentioned it, she did have the feeling of being watched get stronger than before.

"Today I had a lot of customers, but I didn't feel magic on any of them. Maybe they were good at concealing themselves."

Bookman thought about it. "That would mean that their level of performance was higher than we expected."

"It seems that you have someone particular in mind. Can you describe them?"

"Tall, tanned skin, curly black hair, has the aura of a refined nobleman. Does anyone fit that description?"

Fou thought about it, and gasped. "There was one customer who looked like that! He asked me about the castle, what I thought of the coronation, and why I loved the royal family. At that time, I thought it was just small talk, but he could be fishing for information."

Bookman nodded. "That is the most likely reason anyhow. I will scan this building and see what I can find out, but I think it would be wise for us to not meet up in here anymore until we can isolate the source and find out what we can of his powers and intentions."

Fou nodded in agreement. "That sounds good. Thanks for the help."

"In that case, Bookman, do you think we need to call for help?" Tsukikami said with some concern.

Bookman nodded. "Perhaps so. But I want a lockdown on him as soon as possible. I don't like the idea of him sneaking around the castle like so."

"That, we all agree on." Fou stated. "Let's do our best."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

It was easy to convince the naïve boy to find the key to the room with the initials A.K.F. on it. Once she got the key, she had him swear to tell no one what they had done. It was disappointing that he hadn't been able to get the key sooner, but security had been tight and she had to make do with the fact that it on the day of the coronation.

Inside was not what she had expected. She had expected an old, dusty room filled with packed boxes. Instead, she found that everything was neat and looking as if its owner still lived in it, but there was a small layer of dust coating everything to show that there was none.

Curiosity filled up inside her, and Ida began to look everywhere, confident that no one would be able to tell she had been there, since the room hadn't been used in such a long time. A couple of picture frames were set on the side table, with everyone looking younger than they were today. She opened the drawers one by one.

"Let's see here… Clothes… Some trinkets…" Ida looked up when he heard passing footsteps and decided that she had to be quicker, before the ceremony started, and she proceeded to explore more of the room. In one corner, she found a locked box. "This could be important… Should I take it with me?" Ida frowned. The box was small, but there was no way to easily carry it out with her in the dress she was wearing without seeming suspicious. Ida scanned the room and hid it in a different place, intending to come back and retrieve it later.

She then left the room, locking it behind her, scurrying away to find her advisor and tell him of his discovery.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Princess, are you ready yet?" Helena asked softly, suddenly appearing at Beatrice's side, and she gave the other a small smile.

"I hope so, Helena. But, what if I mess up?" Beatrice was right to be worried. It was a big day for her, after all.

Helena moved forward and embraced her princess in a hug. "It will be fine, Beatrice-sama. You've always done well in all that you do. There should be no reason why this is any different. Don't worry. You'll do fine."

Beatrice smiled at her confidant. "Thank you, Helena."

Helena released her from her hold. "No problem, Princess." She bowed. "I'm going to check on things once more. I'll be back when it's time."

Beatrice nodded and Helena left the room, leaving the bluenette with her own thoughts.

' _My coronation. A day I never knew would come. And yet, here it has arrived, but two of the people I wished were here to celebrate with me are not. Is this how Kanda-nii felt, when his coronation came, but Alma-nii was not there? Will this be how Timothy will feel, if I someday decide on a whim to disappear, and he must step up and take the throne?'_  It was not something she had considered before, but certainly it was a possibility, now that she thought it out.

' _Nevertheless, despite what I may now feel, this day is happening, and I will see it right through to the end. Not only that, but for the rest of my days as heiress and if I ever become queen as well.'_

With that feeling, Beatrice exited her room, ready to begin the ceremony. The sight she saw upon turning though, burned through her body like cold fire. For she saw Ida quietly exiting her lost brother, Alma Karma's room. One that should have been locked, one that she should not have been able to enter. It was room sacred to her siblings, where they once gathered to talk memories, and one that was now tainted by a foreign presence. For once, Beatrice Henriette Falaron was not an epitome of cool dignity. She was shaken, and could not do a thing because her ceremony was about to start.

That was how Helena found her, standing in front of her door, frozen.

"Princess? What's the matter?" Helena asked, immediately concerned.

At the sound of Helena's voice, it was as if a spell had broken, and all of Beatrice's thoughts tumbled out of her at once. "Helena!" her voice held her urgency, and Helena was immediately alert. "I just saw Ida come out of Alma-nii's room."

Helena's eyes widened. "What? But that's impossible!"

Beatrice narrowed her eyes, full of anger. "Nevertheless, I just saw it happen right before my eyes. Helena, before the day is done, I want you to find out exactly who gave her the key, how she got in, what she took or tampered with, and what she planned on doing with what she found out. Do you understand?"

Helena bowed. "Yes, Princess. But, what shall you do about protection? I'm to guard you this whole day, on orders of your father."

Beatrice waved her concerns away. "I'll find someone. Don't worry about me. Just do what I told you to."

"Yes, Princess. I'll do my best. Shall we proceed to the ceremony?"

"I have no other choice. Let's go."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Beatrice took a deep breath before she ascended the raised platform.  _'Come on Bea. You can do this. Your coronation. Show no weaknesses. You can do this.'_ Beatrice thought, trying to psych herself up. Her father stood before the thousand citizens and spoke the words of the ceremony. As he finished, she stepped forward to speak her piece.

"Everyone, I am pleased to stand here before you today. As the heiress to the crown I promise to be fair, just, and make Ardua a good country. I will strive in my learning to become a good queen, to someday be worthy of you all."

The crowd cheered, and Beatrice waited before she continued on.

"My brother," Beatrice went straight to the news that she knew everyone was curious about, with a straight and unwavering gaze looking firmly at the crowd. "He ventured off onto a journey with an unknown destination. I cannot say for certain his intentions, for I do not know them, nor has he told me. However, there is no doubt within my heart that he shall return to us, when he is ready. In his absence, I, Beatrice Henriette Falaron, will take my place as the heir to the throne. However, in the event of his return I shall give the position back to my brother if he so wishes."

The crowd before her cheered loudly at her words, and she was glad that she was able to reassure them. However, to her disappointment, the reporters were not as easily persuaded.

"Princess, does your brother's disappearance have anything to with the prior disappearance of your other brother, Prince Alma Karma Falaron?"

Beatrice froze at the sudden question, unprepared for their sudden insight into the matter. Outwardly, she might seem calm, but inside, she felt panic. What should she say? It was only minutes ago that she had just caught Ida coming out of her brother's room, a room that was under lock and key, which she should not have been able to enter yet clearly managed to do so. It was poor timing that the ceremony was about to start and so she was unable to say anything, leaving her very unsettled, especially when she thought of what Ida might have done or taken. The very thought made her ill, but she still had a ceremony to get through.

This was why her answer may not have been as composed as she would normally be. While everyone waited in bated breath for her answer, she turned cold eyes toward the reporters. Her words were not too loud, but they did ring across the room in the silence. Though she did not have a smooth answer, she made sure her words deflected the question.

"This is no interview. This is the day of my coronation, and you have already asked me your allotted question. Please back away now."

"But Princess! This is important! Prince Kanda was close to Prince Alma, was he not? Could it be that—" The reporter was persistent, Beatrice would give him that much. But her patience was on a thin line and she feared she would say something terrible if the questions carried on.

"Enough of this." She said, interrupting him. "I have already stated that this is no interview and politely asked you to cease your questions. If you continue this further, I shall have you removed from the premises and you can be sure that this coverage will  **not**  appear in your paper. Is this clear?"

With that ultimatum, Beatrice hoped that they would leave her alone, and she was glad to see them back off, even if she knew they wouldn't give up. Turning away, she headed into the crowd and made a round through them, smiling at all her citizens and saying a few words to as many as possible. Once she made a full round, she returned back to the stage and announced the start of the feast.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Lala was lost in the sea of people that surrounded her. She had lost her father somewhere along the way, but since she had considered that possibility beforehand, she had told him not to worry and that she would be safe with Fou or Timothy. She had said that, but she would have to find either of them first. The food was delicious, that she couldn't deny, but she wanted to also give her congratulations to Beatrice in person.

Looking for the princess led her into Timothy's path, a person she was immediately glad to see, so that she was no longer alone.

"Timothy, where's Beatrice? I want to say congratulations."

Timothy made a face. "Bea's still talking with other people. Do you want to do something more interesting?"

Lala gave him a confused look. "What would that be?"

Timothy pulled her in close and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "Spying! Ida's really suspicious, and I've got some people tailing her, but I bet we could find out some things too."

Lala looked unsure. "We might get into trouble. And what if it turns into something terrible?"

"It'll be fine! Come on!" Timothy tugged her hand and gave her reassuring smile.

"Oh, alright, but don't do anything stupid, ok Tim?"

"Yes ma'am! Let's go!"

They walked through the throng of people, getting stopped by a couple who recognized Timothy as the prince, but were able to continue on their way without too much fuss. However, try as they might, they could not find Ida at all, so Lala insisted on talking to Beatrice as soon as they saw she was free.

"Bea!"

Beatrice looked up at them, relieved to see them instead of another. "Timothy! Lala! Just the two I wanted to see."

"Princess Beatrice, congratulations! You'll make a wonderful heiress." Lala said her piece before the two siblings engaged in might turn out to be a serious conversation.

Beatrice smiled at her. "Thank you, Lala."

"However, I have something very important to discuss with you." Beatrice's eyes flickered to the servant beside her. "Tema, please ensure our privacy for the moment."

Beside her, the tall girl nodded. "Yes, Princess."

Timothy seemed surprised to see her. "Tema?" He turned to his sister. "Where's Helena?"

"That's part of what I'm trying to get to. Tim, earlier I caught Ida coming out of Alma-nii's room."

Timothy was shocked, but before he could make an outburst, Beatrice quickly intervened. "That's where Helena is, trying to find out how and why she got there."

Timothy frowned. "I still don't like it at all. Lala and I were going to tail her. Can we still try?"

Beatrice frowned at that. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

"Bea, it's fine. We'll be safe, I promise."

Beatrice looked uncertain, but she knew there was little that she could do from keeping her brother and his friend away, especially since she was tied down. "Fine, but be careful. I want you to stay safe."

Timothy nodded. "We will! Come on Lala!' The two children left the new heiress by herself and went off to find their intended target.

"Good luck, guys." Beatrice whispered, and watched walked off into the crowd.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

**A/N:**  Here's the eleventh chapter! I'm thinking of wrapping this story up, but it's only halfway done. Hopefully I'll be able to write out everything that I wanted for this story. Thanks to  **scarf** , my only reviewer for the last chapter! I was happy to know that you enjoyed reading the last chapter. I was scared that I didn't write Team Tiedoll well enough, but I did the best I could. Also added in Miranda, Krory, and Eliade, and hoped that they weren't too out of character. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and that I'll put out the next chapter on time.


	12. Traveling to Find Kanda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploaded on: August 10th, 2013—Happy Birthday to Lavi!

Lavi didn't know for how long he was wandering around lost in the forest without any clear direction. Several times now he had changed his course, convinced he was headed in the wrong direction but as the sky grew darker above him, Lavi had no choice but to admit that he was hopelessly lost.

' _What am I going to do now?'_  Lavi questioned himself. During his entire search, he had stubbornly refused to use magic, convinced he would be able to make it in time without it. He hadn't known then how much he'd come to rely on it, even though he had been traveling without using it for days with Kanda... although that was probably because he wasn't alone then. Now that he had a chance to think, Lavi realized he hadn't ever truly been alone except when he specifically wanted to be, and even then, he had companions.

His grandfather was his mentor and since the time they had left home Lavi had always traveled with him. Sure, he had gotten lost or into foolish situations plenty of times, but that never stopped the older man from finding his whereabouts and giving him a thorough lashing. Lavi gave a small chuckle of fondness as he recalled that, but sobered up quickly. There was no way Bookman would be able to find him now—he had hidden himself too well, and wasn't about to give up what he had worked for in a small moment of weakness.

Yuu. He had to find the other soon, not because he thought the other needed protection, but getting kidnapped was a different sort of circumstance from getting lost. Who knows what they wanted with him, and what they would do with him if they got their way? Unlike Kanda, Lavi was more familiar with the world outside of Ardua, and though the world was currently at peace, the scattered seeds of evil were beginning to show signs of growth. He and Bookman had observed for themselves the increase of dark magic traces in Ektona just last year, and instead of dying down, it seemed to be increasing.

There was a crunch beside his feet and though Lavi kept walking on, he spared a glance to the ground. There, he saw that his foot had stepped on pieces of glass, but whatever it had been was lost to him, for the foliage seemed to have covered it completely. But that moment was enough for him to catch a faint reflection of himself, and he was reminded of yet another person who was close to him. Red hair the shade of his own, the mirth of green eyes identical to him, Lavi remembered a young boy whom he had left behind a long time ago. Even after he decided to travel with Bookman, they had been close, excited and eager to exchange their adventures. They saw each other sparsely through the years, but that never bothered them. Lavi was suddenly rueful of the fight they had last time—it was that which caused them strain their relationship, and though he had been fine with it before, he suddenly felt in him a desperation to connect with the other.

The redhead let out a bark of laughter when he realized that the only thing stopping him from contacting the other was pride. Perhaps Kanda was rubbing off him more than he had realized, he thought, but all previous thoughts flowed away when he spotted a distant light up ahead. He couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him them, and as he hurried in that direction, he felt his spirits begin to lift up from its dark place.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

It was the orange-red glow of the campfire that allowed Lavi to discern the two huddled heads by the fire, one a startling shock of white, bright against the darkness, while his companion's was more toned down in the shade of darker green. There was no way it could be the same people, but there was no mistaking that red scar as he approached closer to the two.

"Lenalee? Allen? Is that you?" His voice broke them away from their quiet discussion, and they jerked, startled by his sudden intrusion.

Lenalee was too surprised to say anything, and although Allen responded first, the words that came out of his mouth was confusing to both parties.

"Deak? Is that you?"

Lavi walked forward into light, remembering when he first met the two performers under nearly the same condition. It took him some time to remember the false name he used, especially since Allen threw him off, but he managed it fine all the same. "Deak? I recall you said something similar the first time we met, but I'm Ithzak, remember? I stayed with your group some days ago."

With the light, he could tell when recognition bloomed in their faces and as he expected, they whole-heartedly opened themselves to him.

"Itzhak! It's good to see you again!" Lenalee beamed at him and patted the spot next to her on the log she and Allen were seated on. Her sharp eyes noted immediately the absence of his previous companion and she tilted her head curiously. "Where's Ando?" she asked.

"Yeah, you too!" Lavi responded and took the proffered seat beside the girl. His face tightened as she mentioned Kanda, but there wasn't a point in denying the truth. "He was kidnapped," he said plainly, no trace of mirth in his eyes.

Alarmed by the sudden answer and what it meant, Lenalee hugged him right away, while Allen voiced what they wanted to say. "What happened?"

Lavi shook his head. "We were ambushed and after they managed to subdue us both they took off with him. I was looking for him actually, but I think I've been headed in the wrong direction, since I ran into you two. Unless you've seen him and three burly men?" The last sentence ended on a hopeful note that was dashed when they shook their head sadly.

Lavi couldn't help but feel disappointed by that, but it had been a slim chance anyway. He tried to lighten things up by changing the subject, asking about their circumstances, since he saw the two were alone. "Are you guys lost too?"

Lenalee laughed aloud. "We're not lost. We had to take care of supplies in the last town, so we're delayed one day from the others, but I don't doubt we can catch up fairly soon."

Lavi smiled at that, glad his friends weren't in a situation similar to his own. "Well, do ya mind if I join you for the night?"

Lenalee shook her head enthusiastically. "No problem at all! Are you hungry? We were about to cook some fish for dinner."

"I'd be delighted," Lavi replied, and the three of them quickly got dinner ready. As they ate, Lavi noticed Allen's not-so-discreet glances at him and remembered what he had said before. "Hey, Allen?"

Allen turned to him. "Hmm? What is it?"

Lavi smiled back. "Nothing much. But it looked like you wanted to ask me something. You can you know. I won't bite."

Allen's face turned red when he realized he had been caught and hesitated before speaking, for his curiosity was too great to be quelled. "Are you really who you say you are?" Lavi was surprised at the question, and Allen continued. "You look similar to an old friend of mine, the son of my mentor, yet you are not him, because he does not wear an eye patch, as well as he would never abandon his home. However, he did have a brother, and if I recall correctly, he had an eye patch, but his name wasn't Itzhak."

' _Well I'll be. How could I have overlooked this shorty?'_  Lavi thought with amusement. Aloud, he said, "Do you mean to say your old friend is Deak then? You kept mentioning him, so I assumed, and I can tell I'm right." He studied the two before him, toying with the idea of revealing his identity, but ended up discarding it. Even if they were his friends, it was still better for less people to know the truth.

"Sorry. You're right, my name isn't Itzhak, but I can't tell you anything else. As for being related to this Deak fellow, I'd have to say I don't know anything on the matter. But I hope you can introduce us one day."

He saw Allen's frown and knew that his excuse wouldn't be bought so easily but Lavi couldn't be too concerned about it. "Well, it's been a long day, so I'll be heading to bed now. Wake me up for my shift later, alright? G'night you two."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

As soon as Allen was sure the redhead was asleep, he and Lenalee began to talk with each other. It hadn't taken long for Itzhak to knock out, so they didn't have to wait long at all.

"Allen? What's wrong?" Lenalee asked with some concern. Her companioned seemed off, and as slight as it was, she could tell. "Did what he say bother you?"

Allen nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's Deak's brother, but he won't admit it. That also brings the question of why he's here, alone, because from what I know, Deak's brother is living with his grandfather."

"Maybe he's just on an errand or something?" Lenalee suggested, but Allen dismissed it.

"It can't be. We saw him days ago and he was traveling with a friend."

Lenalee studied him curiously. "Why are you so concerned about him Allen? Did something happen before?"

Allen nodded. "Yeah. It was around two years ago, but I received a letter from Deak that told me how he had gotten into a fight with his brother, Lavi, I think it was. It didn't say what it was about, but I could tell he was upset when he wrote it. At that time the circus was making it bigger than it had before, so I couldn't just up and leave. I sent a letter back to him, but I don't know if it helped him at all. At the very least, I want to get Lavi's side of the story and see if they patched things up."

Lenalee smiled sadly when she heard Allen's explanation, and when he noticed, he apologized at once.

"Lenalee, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking—" Allen stammered, but Lenalee cut him off with a reassuring smile.

"It's fine, Allen. I think it's terrible for siblings to fight with each other, but I guess it's just because I miss my own brother so much." She looked up at the white lights twinkling above in the dark sky. "I wonder if he's doing well? I'm ashamed that I can hardly remember him at all, but even still, the desire I hold is strong, and I won't give up until I find him." She gave Allen a reassuring smile. "It's why I joined the circus, and I'm sure you have your own reasons as well Allen."

Allen nodded, and the two of them sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey, Lenalee?" Allen began absently. "What do you think of leaving the circus for a while."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're right. I did join for a purpose—to pay off some of my master's debts and making a solid income for myself, as well as to be close to my late father. But I think it would be good to take a break from it. Instead of performing, to go exploring for a while. What do you think of it?"

"It's a kind of sudden question, but I think I've been thinking about that too. I mean, the circus is practically like a second home to me, but after years, I still haven't managed to find my brother. Even though I might not remember him exactly, I'm sure that I'll still be able to recognize him. Are you thinking of leaving now, Allen?"

Her companion nodded. "Yeah, I am. After we meet back up with the others, I'll ask to leave the circus for a while." He shyly looked at her. "Lenalee… Would you want to come with me?"

Lenalee giggled. Seeing a nervous Allen was so cute! "I'd be happy to, Allen. It's a wonder I didn't leave sooner, because some part of me longs for adventure, but Cirque de Cristal is like my home and its members my family. Even if I do go, it's not like I can't come back if I want to. So yes, Allen, I'd be delighted to come travel with you."

Allen blushed at her words, but he was beaming inside. "Thanks, Lenalee. I hope we can find your brother along the way."

Lenalee smiled at him fondly. "So do I, Allen. Ah, should we ask to travel with Itzhak? After all, Ando was kidnapped, and I want to help if I can. We can gain his trust with our honest friendship. And it's better to travel in big groups versus small ones!"

Allen laughed. "Three isn't much bigger than two, but that's a good suggestion. We'll ask him tomorrow then—there's no reason for him to deny us." He glanced up at the sky where the moon had shifted from its previous position, marking the passage of time. "Why don't you head to bed first, Lenalee? I'll keep watch for a little while longer and then wake Itzhak for his shift."

"Sounds like a good idea." Lenalee stood up and brushed off her skirt before heading over toward her tent. "Good night Allen."

"Good night Lenalee."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

The next morning, Lavi was eager to be off in his search for Kanda but was persuaded by Allen and Lenalee to join up with the circus group some miles up ahead.

"Because they are ahead of us by a day, there's a slim chance that they may have noticed anything suspicious, so it would be better to check in with them, Itzhak!" Lenalee lectured.

It was logical, so the three packed their bags and made their way toward Cirque de Cristal's location. Though it was a long walk, they were able to reach them at last. While Lenalee went to hand in the supplies, Allen went to talk with Suman, and Lavi settled to ask Mei-Ling if they had seen Kanda.

"Ando? I'm sorry, we haven't seen him after you parted from us. Suspicious men? I'm afraid we haven't seen anything regarding that either. I'm sorry," she said when she saw the redhead's disappointed look. "How about I do some divination? Surely something will come up. What would you have me see?"

Lavi thought about it. "You foretell the future, but would you also be able to divine location?"

Mei-Ling thought about it and nodded. "Yes, if I concentrate enough and if it pertains to the future I should be able to divine it," she said confidently with determination.

Lavi took a deep breath then. "Alright. Listen to my instructions carefully and see if you can divine from that. I will try to guide you as much as I can. Are you ready? I'm counting on you." He waited for her nod before beginning. "A young man, eighteen years of age, a being filled with noble pride. His nature is like that of an ancient samurai, and he is surrounded by love, but there is a deep loneliness within. He has a desire rooted within him, the desire to find his blood kin gone of four years since now."

Lavi, under the training of his grandfather, had learned many different arts and the trick to getting the most out of magic, especially as basic as this.

" _Remember this boy. The key to fortune-telling depends on how well you know what your divination is centered around. Give only the strongest, most distinct traits as possible, because that narrows down the focus. To narrow down the scope even further, the one who asks for the divining should draw out the connection between the first and themselves, using of course, the strongest feelings and memories. Do you know why?"_

" _When using the asker as a point of focus, the divination can be narrowed down exactly to the specific connection that is tied in their life, more so strongly if there is a future with them, because the focus of fortune-telling essentially divines the present and the future." A young child responded, swinging his legs back and forth beneath him from where he was perched on a bar._

" _That is correct. Using this logic, it is simple to divine the future, especially in guiding the teller. However, people who ask for the divinations are inadequate in expressing themselves fully and truthfully, whether from embarrassment or distrust of the other. This distrust cannot lead to an accurate reading, for divination is looking ahead in to the future and seeing possibilities others cannot. As such the failures come from the askers and that of the prideful diviners, resulting in the current value of fortune telling to the world as mere entertainment. Those with great ability and skill do not require guidance—a simple touch is their entire connection, but those too, are few in between. You have the Sight, and you will know how much reserve a person has, so you will know who in the exchange requires guidance."_

True to his grandfather's words, Lavi had known from the power Mei-Ling held. It was an average reservoir, but depending on her future choices, her magic would dwindle or grow. Certainly, there was a potential in her to become stronger and more powerful than in her current state, but he himself was no diviner, and so could not foretell her destiny. He continued, this time describing himself.

"I, a man filled with secrets, have spent a great of time with whom I seek. Our friendship runs deep and though our roles are different from one another, we are connected to each other. I, who would protect him without hesitation and use all at my disposal, have accompanied him for almost seven years. He is not one that needs protection on the field of battle. Instead, it is the social situations that make him wary. But as his closest companion, I have been there for him as he has for me. If I am fire, then he is ice-cold water. At first glance we are opposites yet we are more alike than meets the eye.

Our lives do not hold an absence from one another, for we are a constant to each other. From when we were parted, when will our paths cross again?"

Eyes drawn in concentration, Mei-Ling gazed into the crystal ball. Nothing could distract her away from this trance, evident by the soft purple glow in the crystal. When she spoke, her voice was slightly different as if speaking from far away. "Indeed you speak true. Blue and red, mixed together, I see it is in your futures to be involved with each other. You have been separated, but the soonest you will meet again is in Vierte Stadt. That will not be the end of your troubles for forces are stirring even as you continue to seek the blood kin. A long journey is ahead of you and there will be difficult questions to answer when you arrive at your destination, but time will not wait. It will proceed as it always has. The route before you is littered with possibilities, contending with the fate of others, but you may shape it to what you truly desire if you forge onward." She looked up from her ball straight into Lavi's eyes, capturing them with her own. He was started to see a purple glow shine from her eyes as it hadn't before. "At one point in your life, onward towards this path, your being will sway above the line of life and death, and should you survive you will continue as always or be crushed by the burden. Be careful of that."

Lavi blinked, his face expressing surprise at what he heard, but he was careful to conceal it. When the glow faded, he shook the girl's hands happily. "Wow! You're really good!" Internally, he thought,  _'Average my ass! What kind of prediction was that? I guess it is in her future to nurture her talents.'_  Though he thought that, Lavi couldn't hide the nervousness within him. He had never truly liked knowing his future, ever since a certain incident and it didn't change now, even when he had to find Kanda. But like he told her, he would use every tool within his disposal to find him, including that of fortune telling.

"In return, I'll tell you something." She looked up at him curiously and he grinned. "You," he said, putting his index finger in the middle of her forehead, poking it gently. "Are an average fortune-teller with average abilities. But for you I can see there are two fates, one where your magic dwindles and one where your magic grows. This depends on your actions and how you live your life. No," he shook his head before she could ask. "I am not a diviner. But I have the Sight, which allows me to see your magic."

Mei-Ling had an awed look on her face and he chuckled. "I'm nothing special. But with that divination you did earlier, there is no way that you are merely at an average level. So it is up to you to decide your fate. Nurture your gift or let it fade? Only you can decide what is best for you."

The fortune-teller looked as if she wanted to say more, but Lavi didn't want to talk about it anymore. Luckily, they were joined by another member, Mimi, who immediately clasped Mei-Ling's hands tightly.

"Wow!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm, eyes shining brightly. "What kind of fortune telling did you do? Your eyes never glowed before! I could see it from waaay over there!" she gestured wildly in the direction she had come from. "Come on, tell me, tell me!"

Mei-Ling was initially taken aback by Mimi's enthusiasm but having traveled together, she got over it pretty fast. "Oh, well, it's customer confidential, so I can't say. But, you said my eyes were  _glowing_?" She turned to Lavi after Mimi nodded. "Is that true?"

Lavi winced under scrutiny but nodded. "Yeah. Your eyes glowed the purple shade of your crystal ball. Has it never happened before?"

Mei-Ling shook her head. "No, never. How strange." Pondering this, she was soon lost in her thoughts. Lavi heard himself being called over by Allen and Lenalee, and he wandered over to them, wondering what they were up to.

"Hey, what's up?" Lavi asked, taking note of the backpacks they carried and Timcanpy lazily flitting above Allen's head.

"Well, it's a bit sudden, but we've decided to take a break from the circus." Lenalee said with a wide smile on her face.

"Really? No way." Lavi said, echoed by Mimi and Mei-Ling who had followed him.

"Yup. It's true." Allen said, reinforcing Lenalee's statement. "We already talked with Suman, and he gave us the OK." Seeing Mimi's surprised face, he attempted to appease quickly with the rest of the words. "We won't be leaving forever, just for a while, to travel around. You know how Lenalee's searching for her brother right? We hope to find him before we return."

"This is like my second home though, and if I really can't find my brother, I'll stop looking for him." Lenalee said.

Mei-Ling gasped at that. "But you can't give up!"

Lenalee smiled. "I know." She went over to Mei-Ling and Mimi to give them tight hugs. "But I can't spend the rest of my life living in false hope. I'll miss you two, but I know you'll do well."

"When are you going?" Mimi asked, letting herself and Mei-Ling get hugged by Allen after Lenalee released them.

"Now, actually." Lenalee replied, and they gasped at her response.

" _Now?!_ " they cried simultaneously and Lenalee beamed at them.

"Itzhak, you're eager to be off, aren't you? Let's travel together and find Ando and my brother along the way!"

Dumbstruck, Lavi could do nothing but let himself be dragged off by the two ex-circus performers. It wasn't until had traveled quite a distance away from the camp that Lavi got over his shock and demanded an explanation from the two of them.

"Why are you two suddenly leaving the circus? Isn't it your home? Why do you need to travel with me?"

Allen shrugged. "It's actually not a sudden decision to make. I've been thinking about this matter for half a year now, but never acted upon it. However, your presence gives me the opportunity to take my chance. It's a win-win situation: you get companions to help you find your friend and we get the opportunity to travel around in a smaller, more maneuverable group. Besides, as performers, we know all the best spots, whether it be on the road or in town. Really, it benefits you a lot."

That was something Lavi had to admit was right, but it still bothered him that they hadn't thought to ask him. "Yeah, but you never asked me if I wanted you two to join my group. And did Suman really let you two go just like that?"

This time Lenalee replied. "While you were chatting with Mei-Ling and getting your fortune told, we talked with Suman on the matter. Like we said before, Suman isn't like other bosses. He allowed us to take a leave of absence from the circus and then we went around saying goodbye to the other members. After that, we packed up our bags, said farewell to Mimi and Mei-Ling, and went on our merry way."

"While dragging me off with you, you mean," Lavi added dryly.

"Well, we were afraid you wouldn't say yes," Lenalee pointed out, and then gave him her saddest expression.

Lavi groaned but gave in. They had put up some good points and just a day ago he had been complaining about traveling alone. "Alright, I give up. Seeing as I'm stuck with you guys we might as well get along and trust each other. That being said, there's something you should know about me. My name isn't actually Itzhak. It's Lavi, and the companion I was traveling with before is none other than Prince Kanda from Ardua. We left Ardua on a secret quest, but he got kidnapped the other day, so I hope you will give me your help in looking for him and not tell anyone along the way."

Lenalee smiled gently at him. "There's no need to be so serious, Lavi. I'm glad that you trust us enough to reveal who you are. And of course we'll help you. Ando, ah, Kanda is our friend as well. Right, Allen?"

Allen nodded. "We'd be happy to. Besides, we're looking for someone too, so it'd be great if you could help keep an eye out for him as well."

Lavi thought about that for a moment. "That's right. Lenalee, earlier you mentioned that you had a brother?"

Lenalee nodded, and began to explain her story. "A long time ago, when I was maybe six, I was kidnapped and separated from my brother. They fed me a potion to erase my memories, and were going to sell me off for money, but I was rescued by a detective at that time. Seeing as how I couldn't recall my past due to the potion, he put me in the local orphanage. I spent five years there before I decided to do something about it, and that's how I came to join the circus. I've been traveling around ever since, trying to find him in the crowd, but I haven't had any luck."

Lavi was surprised to learn of the miserable past the normally cheerful girl held, and his heart went out to her. "Couldn't you have found him using magic?"

Lenalee laughed. "I would have tried if I could, but magic is expensive, and among our talents, none have location spells. Wisely was only here for three years or so, and being a fortune-teller, I asked him to see if I would meet my brother sometime in the future. He tried, but said that there was some kind of interference that made him unable to connect the two of us together. When Mei-Ling joined, and I asked her about it, she said the same thing that he did. So, in regards to magical uses, I haven't had any luck so far."

Lavi frowned. Magical interference? He was sure he had heard that term before, but he couldn't remember where exactly at the moment. "I see. What about you, Allen? What's your story?"

Allen shrugged. "There's not much a story to tell. I was an orphan and lived with my adopted father in his circus. Then, after he died, I went to live with his friend, who became my mentor." Absently, he stroked Timcanpy who was perched on his shoulder. "He's a terrible and unreasonable person, and I don't how his family was able to put up with him. Although I was grateful to them for taking me in, I eventually left the family to travel around in the circus again, because it made me feel close to my late father. And now, I think I want to take a break from it, perhaps visit my old Shishou and his family."

Huh. So there was a deeper part to Allen as well. Lavi didn't expect these two cheerful-seeming teenagers to have painful pasts, but how could he have forgotten that the happiest smiles could hide the most painful of hearts? He should know, always keeping a cheerful mask on himself, but his past wasn't tragic, and the mask was just to protect his secrets. Still, now that he knew them better, there was little reason to doubt further. And besides, they had told him the truth from the very beginning, something he deeply appreciated.

"Well then, Lenalee and Allen, let's do our best to find the answers we seek. Off we go now!" he cheerfully exclaimed and bounced away towards where he hoped a town would lie. Behind him, Lenalee and Allen exchanged amused glances but followed him anyway.

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

It took them a while, but after Mei-Ling's prediction, Lavi now had a clear destination in mind: Vierte Stadt. That was where he was to reunite with Kanda the soonest, and seeing as it was the only lead he had, he took it. Sure, he didn't know when exactly they would meet, but he had faith they would.

Together with the ex-performers' knowledge and Lavi's map, they made their way steadily towards the town. It was a long, winding, and tedious path to take trying to get out of the forest, and when they did, they were quite annoyed that they ended up in the fifth town rather than the fourth, but they stopped there to take a few days of rest in order to stock up on supplies.

To gather money, Allen and Lenalee performed at the town's center, entrancing the townspeople into a merry state with their energetic dance and songs. While they entertained, Lavi was the host collecting coin with his smile, and so by the end of the day everyone was quite happy. With the coin they earned, the trio was able to rent a room at the local inn and stock up on well-needed supplies, for circling the forest had certainly left them tired. It wasn't that they weren't used to traveling—it was more of the fact that they seemed to roam in circles, never seeing an exit even though they had a crude sense of where they were. Allen and Lenalee being the more experienced two reassured Lavi that it was a normal occurrence when traveling in the forest, but that hadn't done much to lift their spirits. So they were quite noticeably relieved when they found themselves out of the forest, a secret hope within them that they were in the right direction rather than the wrong. And thankfully, they were.

Now, after having spent some time there, the three were eager to be off to their destination, Vierte Stadt, the fourth town of Vashekla, north some miles away from Fünfte Stadt **(1)**. At the pace they were going, they would arrive by the end of the third day of travel.

Vashekla, unlike the Ardua and Ektona's land was that of a drier, desert sand. Not that the land itself had sand (it was just dry with dust), but for some reason unknown, few spots of greenery were able to take root in the soil, a phenomenon all the more strange when both its border neighbors—the Alpine Forest to the west, Nakonea to the east, and the island country of Palauhikila to the south—all lands containing lush green plants while Vashekla had none. The fact that the land seemed uninhabitable was a blow to the citizens' pride, but the royals had done a grand job in boosting their confidence, encouraging them to embrace the difference of their land rather than shun it, thus turning the citizens away from less positive emotions.

"What do you plan to do when you find Kanda, Lavi?" Allen asked curiously as they sat around their campfire.

"Eh?" Lavi scratched his head for a moment, thinking. "I suppose we'll continue our journey from where we left off. Yuu never actually outright told me where he was headed or who he was looking for, but I have a pretty good idea of what he wanted. And Mei-Ling was able to help me out on that matter, so I do have a vague idea of where we should go, but honestly, it's not by much." He looked upward at the stars, unblocked by canopies of leaves above him. "In fact, I'm hoping he found out more information than I have." He glanced at the other two sharing his fire. "What about you two? What are your plans?"

Allen shrugged. "We don't really have any plan. But since you seemed to be traveling for a long time, we were hoping to find what we sought along the way."

Lavi's curiosity piqued up once more. "Lenalee's brother, right? Tell me, what was he like, what do you remember of him?"

Lenalee closed her eyes in thought. "He was a very eccentric older brother, but what I remember the most is that he was kind, kind and protective of me. We cherished each other, I think after our parents passed away." She looked into the fire. "I wish I could just  _remember_  what he looked like, what his name was, but I  _can't_. All I can remember are feelings, the feelings of safety and comfort." She glanced over at Lavi and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry I can't be of much help, Lavi."

Lavi shook his head. "It's fine Lenalee. Sorry to make you sad. But you know, I've remembered a curious thing." He continued as the two looked at him with interest. "Back in Ardua, in the castle, I knew someone. He's a crazy, passionate person for science and inventions, especially his special robots. But I know for a fact that he tried to locate a relative of his and failed."

Lenalee and Allen's eyes had widened when they heard this, but they dared not to interrupt. "I don't want to give you any false hope, but there might be a chance that the person I know is your brother. This is because despite the magic that was used in trying to locate his relative, nothing worked. And the reason was due to interference, but because it was not on his end, it could not be lifted or cured. So when I heard your story, Lenalee, I wondered if you might be the relative my friend sought. You're about the right age, sixteen years old, of Chinese descent, and you're missing an older brother."

Lenalee could barely contain herself. "Please, Lavi, tell me his name. Maybe, just maybe, he's my brother."

"You can't remember his name, but maybe it'll jog a memory or two." Lavi waited a moment. "His name is Komui Lee."

Lenalee gasped at that and Allen turned to her in wonder. "Lenalee, isn't  _your_  last name Lee?"

She nodded wordlessly, and tears began to fall from her eyes. "I hope, I hope, please, oh God, let it be, let me find my brother at last," she sobbed, feeling emotions overwhelming her at the revelation. Allen pulled her into a comforting hug and Lavi watched the two.

"Lavi, is there some way that we can contact him, Komui Lee?" Allen asked. "I saw you with Mei-Ling, and if you are who I think you are but deny, you have magic, don't you? You can connect with your people back in Ardua."

Lavi held his gaze. "Yes, I have magic. And yes, I can contact the people back home using it. But I won't. I told you two before, I'm looking for Kanda and we're on a personal journey. I won't stop you if you want to travel in that direction by yourselves, but I won't be going with you there. If you like, you can continue the journey with me, and when we travel back to Ardua, I will take you to meet Komui personally. But not until we have found what we are searching for." He got up and walked over to where his bedroll was. "Think it over, and let me know of your decision in the morning." He hadn't meant to be harsh, and sure, it would have been a better idea to tell them later, but he wanted to give the opportunity to leave while they could. It would be dangerous up ahead, if what Mei-Ling was right in what she saw, and it would be better to involve less people than necessary. Lavi and Kanda could defend themselves. But Lenalee and Allen might not be able to, and if Lenalee really was Komui's sister, he didn't want to see Komui's heartbroken face. "Leave to your own journey," he whispered to himself. "It will only get worse from here.  _I can feel it._ "

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

"Allen? What should we do?" Lenalee whispered, finally quieting her sobs. "I want to find my brother, but I also want to know that Lavi was able to find Kanda safe and sound. What should I do? They're in complete opposite directions."

Allen patted her comfortingly. "I know, Lenalee. But I have an idea. My shishou lives here, in Vashekla, but not on this side. I want to go back and pay him and my friend a visit first. Why don't we continue with Lavi through this country, and later after we visit my shishou, we'll head towards Ardua? Or even, we could wait there and ask your brother to come to us? I say this because my shishou has magic, and his father works at Ardua. We may not be able to use magic to contact them while we travel with Lavi, but that's entirely possible after we separate, right?"

Lenalee seemed warmed by this idea. "That's brilliant, Allen." She wiped her eyes. "It's a wonderful idea. We can find Kanda, my brother, and visit your friend. Thanks, Allen," she said smiling at him.

He smiled back, happy to have pleased her and to have a situation they were both in agreement over. "No problem, Lenalee."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

In the morning that followed, they told Lavi of their decision, but he didn't seem surprised at all. "I'm glad for you," he told them. "And sorry that I won't be able to travel the rest of the way with you, but I'm hope you find who you're looking for. I just have one favor. When you reach Ardua and contact Komui or any of the castle citizens, could you please refrain from mentioning me or Kanda? We still want to travel in near secret, and the only reason they haven't been able to track us so far is because I've covered my tracks and haven't used any magic since leaving. We'll come back of our own accord, but if they found us too early, we wouldn't be able to finish our journey."

Lenalee nodded in understanding. "You have our word, Lavi. Thank you, so much."

He grinned. "Not a problem. Now, let's get to Vierte Stadt."

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

When they arrived, there was big news going around the town. Everyone was in a commotion, whispering excitedly of what something happening in Ardua, which piqued the trio's interest immediately. Allen, charming a couple of girls, revealed to the group that the coronation of Ardua's princess was supposed to be happening quite soon, and the magazine,  _La Royaume_ , was supposed to have an exclusive coverage of the story quite soon.

"Let's go book a room, and then find out more about all of this," Lavi said to the others.

So they did, and roamed all around the town, splitting up to gather more information. But there was very little to be found concerning the coronation happening in Ardua.

"We'll just have to wait for the issue to come out in the next couple of days," Allen told Lavi. "We won't have that long of a wait, but in any case, we should keep an eye out for Kanda."

Lavi nodded in agreement. "That's a good plan, but remember, when you're looking for him, please,  _do not_ refer to him by his real name. It would draw more attention to us than I would like, so if you spot him, maybe make conversation with him, and then ask him to meet you somewhere else more secluded, or public if you'd like. Then get the rest of us and we can meet up again. There is the chance that he'll recognize you from the circus, so you wouldn't have a hard time talking with him, but you never know."

The two nodded in understanding. With the buzz of the coronation coming up, anyone who even remotely looked like Kanda would draw unwanted attention, and the name was no exception. "We'll be careful," the two promised, and the three spent the next couple of days searching with no luck.

However, the coronation had occurred and  _La Royaume_  told it all. Each with their own copy, the trio read Princess Beatrice's speech and her interview with the reporters as well as what the other citizens had to say about the princess and possibly the missing prince. Lenalee searched for any glimpse of her brother who worked at the castle, but couldn't find a picture of him although there was an excerpt from him concerning what he thought about the princess.

Lavi was more concerned over the interview that Beatrice gave out. It wasn't like her to be so uncomposed. She usually let nothing get to her, but there was obviously a problem if she snapped like that at the reporter. Lavi knew that she didn't like to show that side of her to anyone but her family, as being royal meant needing to keep control over one's emotions. What was it that made her upset? Lavi hoped that trouble wasn't brewing at the castle while he was away, mostly because he couldn't do much from so far away. Flipping through the magazine, he searched for any interesting articles, looking in for particular his grandfather's and Timothy's. Finding none from either, he assumed that they had successfully evaded the reporters.  _'I wonder if Yuu's seen this yet?'_  Lavi thought as he put down his copy of the magazine.  _'Only one way to find out. Please, let him be in town!'_

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

Kanda walked with Daisya and Marie around Vierte Stadt at a leisurely pace. As it was Kanda's first time in town, he took his time to take in the sights. While Daisya and Marie were dressed as their usual selves, Kanda wore a baseball cap with his hair braided down his back and plain shirt and pants. He also had a gentler expression on his face, as the others had encouraged him it would help keep up his disguise and Kanda had agreed after seeing the similarity between himself and the magazine picture. Not entirely satisfied, Daisya took it one step further by adding a fake mustache onto Kanda's face, saying there was no way anyone would think he was the prince with that on. Kanda only glared at him, saying that it was too fake to look real, and so it was left behind. "If all fails, pretend you're a girl," Daisya whispered to Kanda as they walked out of the house. He was swiftly elbowed in the chest for that comment and left behind doubled over in pain while Marie tried to hide his amusement.

A few moments after arriving together at the town, the three split up, agreeing to meet up again at noon for lunch at the town center by one of the cafes. Marie went to meet up with his friends, Daisya went to hang out with his soccer buddies and check out soccer equipment, and Kanda walked up and down the market stalls, viewing the displayed wares with interest. He was careful to keep his head down and not talk unless necessary, afraid of being wrongfully recognized, but made sure to keep an ear out for the gossip floating around. The excitement of the coronation in Ardua had not died down at all so Kanda heard various speculations about the royal family, the most popular being of Prince Kanda and Princess Beatrice. Truth be told, it was quite unsettling to hear his name fall from so many lips yet none of them were addressing him at all. Kanda was admiring the porcelain figurines at one stall when a shock of color flashed by in his peripheral vision. Startled, he turned and caught a glimpse of a redhead who vanished into the crowd. But the glimpse was enough, especially when Kanda suddenly saw in his mind's eye a cheerful face, one single green eye, and bright smile.

Realizing this person could be the key to his lost memories, Kanda swiftly went after him, but didn't run to keep discreet. Dodging people coming from all directions, Kanda forged ahead until he spotted the redhead in front of one of the vendors. Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the other's shoulder and turned him around.

"Hey, what's the big—" the redhead began to say before his single green eye widened in shock, the words he had begun to say dying on his tongue. "Yuu?"

Kanda hadn't guessed incorrectly. The redhead standing before him was exactly like the image that had flashed before him, and from the look on the other's face, Kanda was sure he was recognized. Not to mention that the stranger spoke his first name with clear familiarity, an ease to which Tiedoll had not even mastered and brought a strange feeling within him.

"Who are you, how do I know you, and how do you know me?"

**~x.x.x.x.x~**

**A/N:**  Hello, sorry for the long wait. I hope that this chapter was to your liking, and I would like to say that starting from tomorrow onwards, I will be going back and revising the previous chapters, because I have noticed some discrepancies. Sure, they're just small errors, but errors nonetheless, and I would like to have them fixed. In addition to that, I will be cross-posting my three chaptered works onto Ao3. My one-shots are already there, and I decided it was time to put the rest on there too. Therefore, the next chapters may be delayed, but hopefully not by too much. But I want to stress that while the cross-posting and revising will take a small priority over my current writing, I aim to finish as much of both stories as I can before this month is over, because I will be headed back to university in September. To keep informed, please check out my profile for new information.

_**Response to Reader Reviews** _

**Guest, Elysabeth Loredan:** Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed what you read so far.

 **scarf:** I'm glad you like the character growth happening and the plot that's taking place. Yes, Tyki is a smart man, but as a shady character, his plans are obligated to be foiled by nosy children. While Timothy and Beatrice are both growing up and Lavi is painstakingly searching for his best bud, Kanda's just chilling out with Daisya and Marie, and even if he gets embarrassed about it later, you can bet for sure that his pride won't allow him to admit anything! Glad to know Team Tiedoll's dynamics were good.

 **DGrayManGRL:** Indeed she does. She's quite mature for her age and dealing with a lot of things. How did you like the reunion?

 **BornBlindtoBeauty:** Thank you for your praise :) I always enjoy reading about the other characters, and I'm glad you think I was able to pull off adding in so many. Sorry for the slow updates, but I'm glad you think the quality of the chapters are fairly well.

 **No1important:** Thank you for giving this story a chance. I realize that it might have started out a bit childish like other stories with some cliché beginnings, but I have worked hard on improving the plot and my writing. Also, everyone's important, so there's no need to call yourself no1important ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Notes:**

**(1) Fünfte Stadt:**  German – Fifth Town


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